Insulated copper wire scrap · verified buyers
Insulated copper wire scrap buyers
Insulated wire scrap buyers are cable granulating and stripping plants, and the scrap traders who supply them, with many plants in South East Asia, India, Turkey and Europe. They pay on the recovery, the copper left once the insulation is removed, priced against the LME. On Copper Supply you can post a free selling offer, and members who buy copper scrap are told within minutes.
Live insulated copper wire scrap buying requests
No live insulated copper wire scrap buying requests right now. Post yours and members who trade insulated copper wire scrap are emailed within minutes.
Post it freeWho buys insulated wire scrap
- Cable granulating plants that chop cable, separate the plastic and sell copper granules
- Stripping plants for thick power cable
- Scrap traders who sort cable by type and sell to processors
- Secondary smelters, for some low-grade material
Many processors are in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Turkey and Europe. Import rules differ a lot between countries, and some do not accept unprocessed cable.
What buyers need from you
- Sorted lots. Keep power cable, building wire, data cable and harness wire apart. Mixed lots sell at the price of the worst part.
- A recovery figure from a test, with the sample weights
- What is mixed in: aluminium, steel armour, lead sheath, tinned wire, oil-filled cable
- Photos and video of the actual lot
- Legal export papers, including waste shipment papers where they apply
Buyers will test the recovery themselves. If your figure is too high, expect a price claim.
Payment terms you will meet
- TT after inspection at loading, often with a balance against the bill of lading
- Final price adjusted to the tested recovery at the buyer's plant, under an agreed method
- Letter of credit for repeat contracts
Agree in writing how recovery is tested and who settles a dispute. See payment terms that close.
How to post an offer
Post a selling offer with the cable types, tested recovery, tonnage, loading port and photos. You can price as a % of LME on the Cu content, LME − US$/t, a fixed price, or open to offers. Listings are checked for fraud signs and stay live 90 days. Buyers ask for an introduction and you choose who to deal with. Copper Supply takes no commission.
Typical insulated copper wire scrap specification
- Material
- Copper wire or cable still in its insulation: PVC, PE, rubber, paper or lead sheath
- Recovery
- Copper yield after stripping or granulating; from below 40% to above 80% by cable type
- Cable types
- Power cable, building wire, telecom and data cable, car harness wire
- Contaminants
- Aluminium, steel armour, lead sheath, tinned wire, oil-filled cable
- Testing
- Strip or granulation test on a sample, with weights before and after
- Packing
- Bales or loose in containers
- Rules
- May be treated as waste under Basel Convention and national rules; check both countries
Buying instead?
Where it usually comes from
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Netherlands
- France
- Japan
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
Where it usually goes
Documents you'll see
- SCO or FCO with cable types and recovery
- Proforma invoice and SPA with a recovery testing clause
- Recovery test report with sample weights
- Dated photos and video of the actual lot
- Pre-shipment inspection: SGS, Bureau Veritas or similar
- Waste shipment notification or consent, where required
- Scrap export licence or permit
- Weight list and packing list
- Bill of lading
Red flags
- A high recovery promised for mixed cable with no test behind it
- Photos of clean, uniform cable that also appear on other websites
- Full payment before loading, or payment to an account that does not match the seller
- Refusal of pre-shipment inspection
- A seller who cannot say which cable types are in the lot
How Copper Supply works
- Step 1Post freeSay what you buy or sell: product, tonnage, price basis, delivery terms. Fraud checks run before it goes live.
- Step 2Matching traders hear in minutesMembers who trade that product get an email as soon as your listing is live, and every Monday in the market report.
- Step 3Talk only to checked peopleNobody can message you until they've passed an ID check. You see what we checked and choose who to talk to.
- Step 4Run the deal in one roomNCNDA, LOI/ICPO, offers, SPA, IMFPA and signatures in one private deal room. Run any document through a fraud check before money moves.
Free to join. Copper Supply never holds trade money and takes no commission on deals.
Questions people ask
What is insulated copper wire scrap?
Copper wire or cable that still has its plastic, rubber or other insulation. It comes from demolition, cable offcuts, old electrical systems and cars. It is processed by stripping or granulating to recover the copper.
What is recovery in insulated wire scrap?
Recovery is the share of the weight that is copper once the insulation is removed. It ranges from below 40% for thin data cable and harness wire to above 80% for some thick power cable. Buyers pay on the tested recovery.
How is insulated copper wire scrap priced?
The copper content, found from the recovery, is priced as a percentage of the LME or a discount per tonne. Processing and plastic disposal costs are deducted. The cable type and contamination move the price.
Who buys insulated copper wire scrap?
Cable granulating and stripping plants and the scrap traders who supply them. Many are in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Turkey and Europe. Some countries, including China, do not accept unprocessed cable under their scrap import rules.
Is insulated cable scrap classed as waste?
It can be. Under the Basel Convention and many national rules, cable scrap may be treated as waste, and some types are hazardous. Check the export and import rules in both countries before you ship.
How do I test insulated wire scrap before buying?
Take a sample from different parts of the lot, strip or granulate it, and weigh the copper against the total. Have your inspector witness the test, and agree in the contract how recovery will be measured at the buyer's end.
Guides
The market2 min read
Copper scrap grades: millberry, birch, cliff and insulated wire
The names scrap traders use, what they mean, how scrap is priced against the LME, and the checks that matter before you pay.
Read the guideHow deals work2 min read
Trial orders: how to start small without being scammed
A trial of one to a few trucks is how most new copper relationships begin. How to structure it so both sides are protected, and what comes after.
Read the guideChecking people2 min read
How to verify a copper buyer before you send an offer
Sellers are asked for offers, documents and samples by "buyers" who disappear. Three questions and a few checks that find the real ones.
Read the guideDocuments2 min read
Inspection certificates: what SGS, AHK and CCIC reports actually prove
Independent inspection is the backbone of safe copper trading. What an inspector checks, which report you need at which stage, and how to verify one.
Read the guide
Copper countries
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Have insulated copper wire scrap to sell?
Post it free. Members who trade it get an email within minutes, and only ID-checked people can contact you.