What copper is and where it is used
Copper is a reddish metal and, after silver, the best conductor of electricity; aluminum carries 61% of the current copper does1. That is why copper scrap usually turns up as cable, bar, motor windings or tubing.
| Use | Share of copper | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Power generation, transmission and distribution | 44% | Power and distribution cable |
| Construction | 20% | Plumbing, cooling, roofing and cladding |
| Appliances and electronics | 14% | Wiring, circuits and contacts |
| Transport | 12% | Wire harnesses in trains, cars and trucks |
| Other | 10% | Coins, musical instruments and cookware |
Copper does not stick to a magnet. If a piece of "copper" sticks, it carries iron (screws, clamps, a steel core) or it is another metal with a copper coating.
Copper scrap grades: #1, #2 and light copper
In Mexico people talk about first and second quality copper. The international market uses the names in the ReMA (formerly ISRI) specifications circular, which sets the purity of each grade and what it must not contain3. This is how they match.
| Grade | ReMA name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| #1 bare bright copper | Barley | Bare, uncoated, unalloyed wire, commonly known as bare bright |
| #1 copper wire and cable | Berry | Clean, untinned, uncoated, unalloyed wire and cable, free of brittle burnt wire. No tubing |
| #1 heavy copper and tubing | Candy | Clippings, punchings, bus bars, commutator segments and clean tubing, uncoated |
| #2 copper wire | Birch | Unalloyed wire at a nominal 96% copper (94% minimum). No excess lead, tin or solder, no insulation and no burnt wire |
| #2 copper solids and tubing | Cliff | Unalloyed copper at the same purity as Birch. No brass or bronze and no tubing with other metal fittings or sediment |
| Light copper | Dream | Sheet, gutters, downspouts, kettles and boilers at a nominal 92% copper (88% minimum). No radiators, fire extinguishers or refrigeration units |
| #1 copper nodules | Clove | Chopped or shredded #1 wire, at least 99% copper, free of tin, lead, aluminum, iron and insulation |
| #2 copper nodules | Cobra | Chopped #2 wire, at least 97% copper, with no more than 0.50% aluminum and 1% of any other metal or insulation |
| Insulated copper wire | Druid (#1 wire), Droid (#2 wire) | Wire with various types of insulation. Sold on sample or recovery basis |
| Electric motors | Elmo | Whole or dismantled motors wound mainly with copper, without iron bases, gear reducers or pumps |
There are combination grades, such as Birch/Cliff (#2 wire and solids) and Berry/Candy (#1 wire and heavy copper). Anything light copper excludes is also excluded from the higher grades3.
How to tell which copper you have
The magnet
Copper does not stick. If something sticks, there is iron: screws, staples, clamps or a core. Remove it before you sell.
The color
Clean copper looks reddish or orange. Bright copper with no stains is Barley; green wire is negotiated separately and coated wire is no longer #13.
Tin
Wire that is silver inside and out is tinned. #1 must be untinned, so tinned wire does not grade as #13.
Insulation
If the cable has plastic or rubber, it is insulated wire: it is paid for the copper it yields, not as bare copper.
Burnt wire
Wire that is blackened and brittle from fire grades neither as #1 nor as #23.
Fittings
Clean tubing grades as #1. With fittings of another metal or with sediment it does not even make #23: cut the fittings off and sell them separately as brass.
Copper cable: insulated or stripped
Insulated wire is sold on sample or on the copper it yields3: the buyer estimates how much the metal weighs without the plastic. If you strip it, the clean wire grades as #1 or #2 depending on its condition. When cable is granulated at a plant, the metal comes out as copper nodules (Clove or Cobra) and the insulation is separated.
Burning cable to remove the insulation leaves the wire brittle and covered in ash, and that wire falls outside grades #1 and #23. The smoke from burnt plastic also pollutes the air you and your neighbors breathe.
If you have a lot of insulated cable of different kinds, sort it by type and gauge: each yields differently. The circular leaves wire thinner than 16 AWG (B&S) gauge to agreement between buyer and seller3.
What lowers the price of your copper
- Insulation, rubber and plastic. What is not metal is not paid as copper; insulated wire is valued on what it yields.
- Iron. Screws, clamps, housings and cores. Motors must come without iron bases, gear reducers or pumps3.
- Tin, lead and solder. #1 must be untinned, and excess lead, tin or solder takes copper out of #23.
- Brass and bronze mixed in. Neither #2 nor light copper accepts them3. Keep them apart: they have their own market.
- Oil, dirt and sediment. #2 must come without excess oil or non metallics, and tubing without sediment3.
- Mixed grades. If #1 arrives mixed with #2, the lot is valued as #2.
Reference prices for each grade, with their date, are on scrap metal prices. Payment is calculated from the certified weighbridge weight.
Why copper is recycled
Copper can be recycled again and again without losing its properties, and there is no difference in quality between recycled and mined copper: they are used interchangeably2.
- 85%less energy is needed to recycle copper than to produce it from ore 4
- 32%of the copper used worldwide from 2009 to 2018 came from recycling 2
- 2/3of the 690 million tonnes produced in the last hundred years are still in use 2
- 40%of the copper in end of life products is recycled 2
Every year around 8.7 million tonnes of copper come from recycling old scrap (end of life products) and new scrap (manufacturing offcuts)2. The copper already in use is called the "urban mine": it equals about 33 years of mine production2. See the impact of recycling scrap.
Bluegreen's impact certificate covers steel and stainless steel today. For copper it will be issued once emission factors with a published source exist. See how it is calculated.
Copper in Mexico
Mexico mines copper: in 2024 it ranked 11th in the world and Sonora accounted for most of national output5.
- 717,332 tof mined copper produced in Mexico in 2024 5
- 3.1%of world mined copper, 11th in the world 5
- 80.1%of the country's copper came from Sonora 5
- 40%of Mexico's mineral and metallurgical exports in 2024 were copper 5
In steel, copper is a contaminant that does not come out in the furnace: that is why motors and cable are taken out of ferrous scrap. See steel and its scrap.
Legal origin and cable theft
Stealing metal to sell as scrap can cause electrocutions, mass power outages and transport disruptions, and repairing and replacing what was stolen costs far more than the metal6. That is why a formal buyer asks where the material comes from.
- Where it comes from. The plant, site or dismantling project that generated the material.
- Who owns it. The invoice for the equipment, the asset write off or the construction contract.
- Public network cable. Power or telephone network cable can only be sold by its owner, with the paperwork.
At Bluegreen every transaction carries a CFDI 4.0 invoice and a Carta Porte 3.1 waybill, and payment is by bank transfer, never cash: both the material and the money can be traced. See what regulation requires at each step.
How to sell your copper to Bluegreen
- 01
Tell us what you have
Fill in the form with the type of copper, photos and an approximate weight. If you do not know the grade, choose "Not sure what it is" and send photos.
- 02
Get the offer
Once your lot is published, you get an offer within 24 hours. Each lot is assessed on its own.
- 03
Pickup
We collect with our own trucks in any state of Mexico. Projects outside the country are evaluated.
- 04
Weighing
The material is weighed on a certified weighbridge.
- 05
Payment and paperwork
We pay by bank transfer after weighing, never in cash, with a CFDI 4.0 invoice and a Carta Porte 3.1 waybill.
See how to sell scrap metal step by step and, if you also have aluminum, aluminum scrap.
Frequently asked questions
How much is copper scrap per kilo?
It depends on the grade and how clean it is: bare bright #1, #2, light copper and insulated wire are all priced differently, and prices move with the international copper price. Reference prices by grade are on scrap metal prices.
What is the difference between #1 and #2 copper?
#1 is clean copper, untinned, uncoated and unalloyed. #2 is unalloyed copper at a nominal 96% copper and 94% minimum3.
Should I burn cable to remove the insulation?
No. Burnt wire falls outside grades #1 and #23, and the smoke from burnt insulation pollutes. Strip it by hand or sell it insulated.
How is insulated wire paid?
On the copper it yields: it is sold on sample or recovery basis3. A thick single conductor cable yields more than a thin one with a lot of insulation.
How do I tell copper from brass?
By the color when you scrape a corner: copper is reddish and brass is yellow. Neither sticks to a magnet. See bronze and brass scrap.
Is recycled copper as good as mined copper?
Yes. There is no difference in quality between recycled and mined copper, and they are used interchangeably2.
What paperwork comes with the sale?
Every transaction with Bluegreen carries a CFDI 4.0 invoice and a Carta Porte 3.1 waybill, and payment is by bank transfer. See how the scrap trade is regulated.
Do you collect in my state?
Yes. Bluegreen collects with its own trucks in every state of Mexico and evaluates projects outside the country.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from a third party publication. Names and logos belong to their owners and only identify the source; they do not imply endorsement.
- International Copper Association (ICA)Copper Attributes and Alloys (2026)Open the publication
- International Copper Association (ICA)Copper Recycling, policy brief with ICA and Fraunhofer ISI data for 2009 to 2018 (2021)Open the publication
- Recycled Materials Association (ReMA)ReMA's ISRI Specifications Circular, Guidelines for Nonferrous Scrap (NF-2025), Red Metals (2026)Open the publication
- International Copper Association (ICA)Circular Economy (2026)Open the publication
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)Mexico, 2024 Minerals Yearbook country review (Alberto A. Perez, National Minerals Information Center) (2026)Open the publication
- Recycled Materials Association (ReMA)About Stop Metals Theft (2026)Open the publication
