Category 04 — copper and grounding
We buy surplus bare copper, insulated copper and grounding wire
Copper is the most liquid thing in a surplus wire pile, and also the easiest to mis-value. Bare grounding wire, tinned copper, green insulated ground, and scrap cut-offs all look similar on a shelf but are bought on different terms.
We buy copper wire as wire — not as scrap — which means insulated conductors, spools with footage remaining and clean bare copper all have a place in a quote.
What counts as copper wire here
The distinction that matters is whether the material is still usable wire with a known size and construction. A spool of #6 bare copper with 400 feet left is wire. The same copper chopped into two-foot pieces is scrap, and scrap is handled differently. We are set up for the first category.
- Bare copper grounding conductor, solid and stranded
- Green insulated grounding and bonding wire, THHN or XHHW
- Tinned copper and bare copper braid
- Insulated copper conductors in all building wire types
- Copper ground lugs and short bonding jumpers on spools
- Bare copper in coils, spools and cut lengths
Grounding and bonding wire
Grounding wire is bought in the sizes that appear on Mississippi service and industrial work: #6 and #4 bare for residential and light commercial, #2 through 2/0 for service and equipment grounding, and larger bare copper for substation and plant grounding grids. Green THHN and XHHW ground in the same sizes is bought alongside.
| Size | Common use | Usually sold as |
|---|---|---|
| #14 – #10 | Fixture and device grounding | Coils, small spools |
| #8 – #6 | Equipment grounding, residential service | Spools, coils |
| #4 – #2 | Service and feeder grounding | Spools |
| 1/0 – 3/0 | Large service and plant grounding | Reels, coils |
| 4/0 and 250–500 MCM | Substation and industrial ground grids | Reels |
How copper lots are assessed
Three things: the actual copper content, whether the wire is still usable, and how it is packaged. Clean bare copper with known size and footage is the strongest lot. Insulated copper is valued on conductor size and insulation type, with larger sizes and easier stripping doing better. Mixed, tangled or heavily oxidized copper is a weaker lot and should be described that way up front.
We buy wire and cable, not general scrap metal. If a load is mostly chopped copper, mixed bus bar or demolition debris rather than usable wire, tell us and we will say plainly whether it fits.
Photos that help
For copper, a photo of the spool tag plus one of the wire end tells us the size and condition. For a large grounding lot, a photo of the whole pallet with a reference object gives a sense of scale. Weigh tickets are useful if you have them, but we would rather see the wire than a number somebody guessed.
Questions
Copper & Grounding Wire questions
Do you buy copper wire by the pound or by the foot?
By the lot, after looking at the construction, size, footage and condition. Weight alone does not describe whether wire is usable, so a per-pound number would mislead both sides. Send the details and photos and we will quote the lot as wire.
Will you take copper that has already been stripped?
Stripped bare copper is generally scrap rather than wire, and this site is set up for wire and cable. Describe what you have and we will tell you honestly whether it fits what we buy.
Do you buy green insulated ground wire?
Yes, in THHN and XHHW constructions, in the same sizes as other building wire. It is often left over in partial spools after a service upgrade, which is exactly the kind of lot that gets quoted quickly.
Coverage
Where we buy it
These lots come from across Mississippi. Pick the closest region to see how surplus builds up in that local economy.
Quote request
Copper & Grounding Wire quote request
Tell us what the wire is and how much there is. Photos of the reel tag and jacket print do more than any description.
Request a copper & grounding wire quote
Tell us what the wire is, how much there is and where it sits. Photos of the reel tags and jacket print speed up the review more than anything else.
Ready to move that surplus wire?
Send the reel details and photos. No cost to submit, and no obligation to accept a quote.