Copper does not turn up loose. It arrives inside things that are being replaced, which is why the useful question is not where to look but who is throwing out equipment this week. This sets out where the copper actually sits, how much of it is in each source, and which of those are worth the effort at today's rates.
Ask about permission first, not last
Everything below assumes the material is yours to take or has been given to you. That is not a formality: the assumption most collectors make is backwards, and being systematic increases your exposure rather than reducing it. One item off a kerb is treated differently from a truck being loaded with recyclables for resale, and in some jurisdictions material set out for collection legally belongs to the council or sanitation department the moment it is placed there.
The where scrap metal comes from guide covers the legal position properly. Read it before you build a route.
Where the copper actually is
Ranked by how much copper you get for the effort, not by how much the item weighs.
Air conditioning and refrigeration
The densest common source. A residential condenser holds 5 to 30 lb of copper in tubing and motor windings, and copper is only 8 to 12 percent of the unit's weight while carrying 50 to 70 percent of its recoverable value.
The line set is the prize: 25 to 50 feet of nearly pure copper tube weighing 4 to 10 lb. Stripped of its insulation it grades as number 1 rather than as insulated wire.
One rule you cannot work around. Refrigerant must be recovered by a certified technician before a unit is scrapped or destroyed. That is a legal requirement, not yard policy, and a recovery-and-tag service runs $75 to $150. Yards refuse untagged units, and correctly.
Electric motors
Six to twelve percent of a motor's weight is copper winding, more in small motors, less in large ones, and roughly double in DC motors.
Motors arrive from washing machines, pumps, power tools, garage doors, treadmills and industrial equipment. A yard buys them whole at a mixed rate; the copper inside is worth several times that, which is the arithmetic behind whether it is worth breaking them open.
Transformers
Dense copper winding in a steel core. Small control and microwave transformers turn up constantly and larger utility and industrial units occasionally.
Two cautions that matter more than the copper. Some older transformers contain PCB-based oil, which is regulated waste and not something to open in a garage. And utility transformers are frequently stolen property; a yard will ask where it came from, and should.
Sellers looking for a facility that processes transformer copper specifically are usually looking for a non-ferrous processor rather than a general yard. The buyer routing tool covers that distinction.
Building wire from renovation and rewiring
The most predictable source, because rewiring happens on a schedule rather than by accident. Building wire and sheathed cable come out of houses in usable lengths.
At today's rates the reason to know your grades is plain: <strong>insulated building wire pays $2.67 a pound and the bare bright inside it pays $6.22</strong>. Whether stripping is worth your time depends on volume, and the stripping payback calculator works that out at live prices.
Plumbing
Copper pipe from repipes and demolition, plus brass fittings and valves. Brass runs 60 to 70 percent copper by weight and has its own market at $3.54 a pound.
Clean pipe with the solder joints and fittings cut off is number 1. Left on, it is number 2, and the difference is a pair of cutters and a few minutes.
Appliances
Lower density, higher volume. A water heater is 40 to 120 lb of mostly steel with copper heating elements and brass fittings; a washing machine is around 150 lb of steel around one copper-wound motor. A two-pound motor winding is worth about as much as seventy pounds of steel, which is the whole reason to pull it.
What looks like copper and is not
Copper-clad aluminium. A copper skin over an aluminium core, common in cheap jumper cables, budget speaker wire and some imported building cable. It strips perfectly well and then grades as aluminium at $0.87 a pound.
Cut a strand and look at the cut end. Copper throughout is copper; a silver core is CCA. The grade finder walks the checks.
Tinned copper. Silver on the outside, copper underneath, common in marine and older electrical work. It is real copper but it cannot reach bare bright, because the coating is part of the material.
What is not worth the effort
Fine multi-strand wire. Cat5, phone cable and automotive harness recover under 50 percent, which is below the stripping break-even. Sell it as is.
Sealed compressors, unless you have the tooling. The winding is inside a welded steel shell and most people spend an hour to reach two pounds of copper.
Anything requiring a certified process you do not have. Refrigerant recovery and PCB handling are the two that come up, and both cost more to get wrong than the copper is worth.
Turning a source into a supply
A single find is a payday. The same source every month is a business, and the difference is usually one conversation.
HVAC contractors, electricians, plumbers, property managers and small maintenance firms all generate copper as a byproduct and mostly regard disposal as a chore. Ask about the disposal problem rather than the metal. Reliable collection on a predictable day is worth more to them than the scrap is to you, and that is the trade.
Before you drive anywhere, the minimum load calculator works out whether the trip clears its own cost. At $6.22 a pound, bare bright covers a short trip on a few pounds; steel does not.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the most copper in a house?
The air conditioning system, if there is one. A residential condenser holds 5 to 30 lb of copper in tubing and windings, and the line set alone is 4 to 10 lb of nearly pure copper. After that it is the building wire, then the plumbing, then the motors inside appliances.
Can I take scrap copper left out on the kerb?
It depends where you are and it is not always obvious. In some jurisdictions material placed out for collection becomes the property of the sanitation authority the moment it is set down. Systematic collecting carries more exposure than taking a single item, not less.
How much copper is in an electric motor?
Six to twelve percent of the motor weight is copper winding. Small motors sit at the higher end, large ones lower, and DC motors carry roughly double a comparable AC motor.
Do I need anything special to scrap an air conditioner?
Yes. Refrigerant has to be recovered by a certified technician before the unit is scrapped, which is a legal requirement rather than yard policy. A recovery and tag service runs about 75 to 150 dollars, and yards refuse untagged units.
Is stripping copper wire worth it?
It depends on your volume and the cable. Building wire recovers about 75 percent and the gap between insulated and bare bright is over three dollars a pound at current rates. Fine multi-strand cable recovers under 50 percent, which is below the point where stripping pays for the time.
How do I tell copper from copper-clad aluminium?
Cut a strand and look at the cut end. Copper all the way through is copper. A silver core with copper only on the outside is copper-clad aluminium, and it is paid as aluminium.
Are transformers worth taking?
The copper winding is dense and valuable, but two cautions apply. Some older transformers contain PCB-based oil, which is regulated waste. Utility transformers are also frequently stolen property, so a yard will ask where it came from.
What copper is not worth collecting?
Fine multi-strand cable such as Cat5 and phone wire, sealed compressors if you do not have the tooling to open them, and anything that needs a certified process you do not have. The last of those costs more to get wrong than the copper is worth.
How do I get a regular supply rather than one-off finds?
Ask tradespeople about their disposal problem rather than about their metal. HVAC contractors, electricians, plumbers and property managers generate copper as a byproduct and mostly treat getting rid of it as a chore. Reliable collection on a predictable day is the trade.
Does copper need to be clean to sell?
Not to sell, but cleanliness decides the grade. Bare bright is the top grade and pays the most; the same copper with solder joints, fittings or steel attached grades lower. A mixed pile is paid at the lowest grade present.