LemonTrades
TL;DR
- COMEX copper, the US benchmark, is priced per pound. It’s live below, near record levels.
- Scrapyards pay less than COMEX: the most for clean “bare bright” wire, less for #1 and #2 copper, and much less for insulated wire.
- A penny from 1982 or earlier is 95% copper, about 0.0065 pounds, but melting pennies is illegal.
- LemonTrades follows copper for you and tells you what moved it, and why, as it happens.
Here’s copper’s price right now.
Scrap copper prices
| Grade | What it is | Price vs COMEX |
|---|---|---|
| Bare bright | Clean, uncoated, unalloyed wire | Closest to COMEX |
| #1 copper | Clean pipe and thick wire, no solder | A bit lower |
| #2 copper | Pipe with solder or paint, thinner wire | Lower |
| Insulated wire | Copper still in its plastic coating | Much lower, by how much copper is inside |
| Brass | Copper mixed with zinc | Lower still |
Yards set their own prices daily, based on COMEX. Call a few, and strip and sort your copper to get more.
Why copper is so expensive
Demand from power grids, data centers and electric vehicles is rising faster than new mines can open, and US tariff threats have pushed US prices above world prices. See is copper a good investment and how to invest in copper.
Is it worth melting pennies?
No. Since 2006 it’s been illegal to melt pennies or nickels for their metal, and pennies from 1983 on are 97.5% zinc anyway. Old copper pennies are worth a bit more than face value to some buyers, mostly in bulk.
Sources
- CME Group: Copper futures
- US Mint: Coin specifications
- Goldman Sachs: why record copper prices aren’t forecast to last
Education, not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
