Aluminium Cable
Most people assume cable scrap means copper, but a huge share of Australia's overhead electricity network runs on aluminium conductor instead, and that material turns up in scrap loads more often than people expect. Here's why it's aluminium, how it's graded differently to copper, and how to sell it properly.
Copper conducts electricity better than aluminium per square millimetre, but weight decides which metal wins for long overhead runs, not raw conductivity. Aluminium is roughly a third the weight of copper for the same conductivity once the conductor is sized up, which means transmission towers and power poles can span further and carry less structural load. That trade-off is exactly why most of the overhead network you see on poles and towers across Australia runs on aluminium conductor, while copper stays dominant inside buildings, appliances, and shorter internal wiring runs.
The most common form is ACSR, Aluminium Conductor Steel-Reinforced, aluminium strands wound around a steel core for extra tensile strength across long spans. It's genuinely two metals combined in one cable, and buyers typically account for both when pricing it, not just the aluminium content.
Worth clearing up directly, since telecom and data cabling gets pulled alongside power cable during the same jobs fairly often: fibre optic cable carries data on glass or plastic fibres, not metal conductors. There's essentially no recoverable metal value in the fibre core itself, only in whatever outer sheathing, armouring, or strength members surround it, and that's usually a small fraction of the cable's bulk. If you're pulling cable from a telecom or NBN-related job, check whether it's carrying copper, aluminium, or fibre before assuming it's all valuable the same way.
Aluminium and copper cable should always be sold separately from each other too, different metals with completely different values, and mixing them means a buyer has to sort your load before pricing it properly, which typically costs you more than the sorting effort would on your end.
A quick weight test settles most doubts on the spot. Cut a short, equal length of each cable you're unsure about and compare them side by side, aluminium will feel noticeably lighter for the same diameter, often close to a third of the weight. It's a rough test, not a lab-grade one, but it's usually enough to sort a mixed pile into the right piles before you list anything.
Aluminium cable and wire sits alongside ScrapTrade's live-priced Aluminium Extrusion and Sheet categories in spirit, but as insulated or ACSR conductor specifically it isn't one of the exact live-priced calculator materials. List it on the general marketplace with clear photos, note whether it's bare, insulated, or ACSR with a steel core, then negotiate directly or post it to the Wanted Board so a buyer who deals in cable specifically can assess it properly. If what you've actually got is copper cable, our copper cable guide covers that material in full, including how recovery rate varies by cable type.
This material follows electrical infrastructure work, upgrades, undergrounding projects, and decommissioning, rather than any one industry. Perth and Western Australia's vast distances mean an especially large overhead transmission and distribution network relative to population, generating real, ongoing volumes of ACSR and aluminium conductor as it's upgraded or replaced. Brisbane's ongoing infrastructure growth across South-East Queensland generates a steady stream of the same material from new development and network upgrades alike.
Neither city is a requirement. Electrical contractors and network infrastructure crews generate this material anywhere in Australia, and ScrapTrade connects buyers and sellers nationally regardless of where a listing is posted from.
Aluminium recycles with roughly 95% less energy than producing it from raw ore, the same efficiency that makes every other aluminium grade on this site worth recovering applies just as directly to cable and conductor. Add the steel core in ACSR, which recovers and recycles separately, and a genuine load of decommissioned overhead conductor is a real, two-metal recovery opportunity, not a low-value afterthought next to copper cable.
Cable that isn't obviously copper is exactly the kind of load a buyer will price cautiously, or mistake for a lower-value mixed lot, until someone actually looks closely at it. On ScrapTrade, you describe the cable type and construction properly, then negotiate directly with an interested buyer or post it to the Wanted Board so someone who genuinely handles aluminium conductor can make you a real offer, negotiation is on by default on every listing. Every listing is GPS-video verified before it goes live, and payment sits in escrow from the moment a deal is confirmed until pickup or delivery is done, so neither side is exposed first. The full case for why that beats a single yard quote is on Why Choose ScrapTrade and Trust & Safety.
Weight, not conductivity, decides it. Aluminium conducts less well per square millimetre than copper, but it's roughly a third of the weight for the same conductivity once you size the conductor up, so transmission towers and poles can span further with less structural load. That trade-off makes aluminium the practical choice for long overhead runs, even though copper still dominates inside buildings and appliances.
Aluminium Conductor Steel-Reinforced, aluminium strands wound around a steel core for extra tensile strength on long spans. It's genuinely two metals in one cable, and buyers typically price it accounting for both the aluminium and the steel core rather than treating it as pure aluminium.
Very little to none. Fibre optic cable carries data on glass or plastic fibres, not metal conductors, so there's essentially no recoverable metal value in the core itself, only in whatever outer sheathing or armouring surrounds it, if any. Worth knowing before assuming any cable pulled from a telecom job is valuable.
Weight and colour are the fastest tests. Aluminium is dramatically lighter than copper for a similar-looking cable and has a duller, greyer tone once any coating is scraped back, compared to copper's distinctive reddish-orange. If you're still unsure, our copper cable guide covers copper-specific identification in more depth.
Yes, always. They're different metals with completely different values, and mixing them means a buyer has to sort your load before they can price it properly, which usually costs you more than the sorting effort would.
Not as its own calculator category, its mixed steel-aluminium construction makes a single per-kilogram rate hard to apply fairly. Describe the diameter and construction in your listing and negotiate directly, a buyer who processes ACSR regularly will know how to value both components together rather than guessing at a blended rate.
Describe it properly, negotiate directly, or post it to the Wanted Board.
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