Copper Scrap Price per kg today — £9.00–£9.20 (25 Oct)

Scrap copper pipe prices

New copper tube is £8.70–£9.00 per kg (£8,700–£9,000 per tonne), verified 25 Oct 2026. This tube rate is separate from the dry bright wire headline price. Used plumbing pipe may contain solder, brass fittings or other attachments, so it cannot automatically be valued as new tube. Sort clean tube away from mixed copper and cylinders, and ask Simvic to confirm the grade of your pipe before using the calculator or travelling.

Copper value per kg UK

Dry bright copper wire is £9.00–£9.20 per kg (£9,000–£9,200 per tonne), verified 25 Oct 2026. This is the headline wire grade from one London-area yard, not the value of every copper item across the UK. Insulated cable, cylinders and soldered pipe have separate rows. Match your material to a listed grade, weigh the copper rather than its container, and use the kg rate for an estimate. Another buyer may quote a different price.

Price for scrap copper

Dry bright copper wire is £9.00–£9.20 per kg (£9,000–£9,200 per tonne), verified 25 Oct 2026. Use that range only for material graded as dry bright copper wire. The table separates new tube, heavy copper, braziery and mixed copper because their condition and attachments differ. Keep each type apart instead of applying the bright-wire rate to a mixed load. The verification date records a manual check; it does not guarantee the same offer when you sell.

Copper grades and materials

Materials on our confirmed buying list. Acceptance and grading depend on condition; contact us about attachments, contamination or unusual items.

• Electric motors
• Dry bright copper wire
• Clean flat electro copper
• New copper tube
• Greasy bright wire
• 98% heavy copper
• Copper cylinders
• Copper braziery
• Mixed copper (min. 96%)

Dry bright copper wire

Clean, dry, uncoated bare copper wire with no insulation, tinning or oxidation.

Clean flat electro copper

Clean flat copper bar and busbar, uncoated and free of attachments.

New copper tube

New, clean copper tube free of fittings, solder and paint.

Greasy bright wire

Bright copper wire with a maximum of 5% grease.

98% heavy copper

Heavy copper of at least 98% purity.

Copper cylinders

Hot-water cylinders and tanks.

Copper braziery

Mixed copper with brass, minimum 88% copper.

Mixed copper (min. 96%)

Mixed copper with a minimum of 96% copper.

Electric motors

Scrap electric motors containing copper windings.

How to identify copper

• Bright copper wire (often called No. 1 or ‘bright and shiny’) is bare, uncoated and unalloyed wire, at least roughly the thickness of a pencil lead, with no tarnish, tinning or insulation.
• Clean copper tube (No. 2) is plumbing pipe with fittings and soldered joints cut off. Light surface oxidation is usually accepted.
• Mixed copper covers pipe with solder, paint, plaster or small brass fittings still attached, and tinned or burnt wire.
• Copper cylinders are graded separately because they typically include brass bosses, immersion heater fittings and foam lagging.

Preparation and contamination

• Cut off brass fittings and sort them into a separate brass bag — they are worth less than copper and drag the whole load down if mixed in.
• Strip cable insulation only where it is safe and practical; never burn cable, which is illegal and destroys value.
• Remove foam lagging, plastic and plaster before weighing.
• Keep bright wire, clean tube and mixed copper in separate containers.

What affects the price

• Copper's value follows global market reference prices, which can move daily.
• Yards apply a margin for sorting, transport and processing, so their buying price is always below the market reference.
• Purity: solder, tin coatings and attachments reduce what a yard can pay.
• Quantity: larger, well-sorted loads may attract better rates.

Estimate the value of your copper

Copper price FAQs