The first question a buyer asks about copper scrap is not the weight. It is the grade. Bare bright wire, No. 1, No. 2 and insulated cable can be paid at very different rates, and the difference is mostly what you can see and what you can prove. This page explains the grades, how to sort your copper into them and how a price is built. We give no yard prices because we found no sourced Australian list. For how to check an offer, see Scrap Yard Copper Prices: How to Check an Offer.
The four grades, as the ScrapTrade index defines them
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Copper bare bright wire | Clean, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire with no insulation |
| Copper #1 | Clean copper tubing, bus bar and wire at least 1/16 inch thick |
| Copper #2 | Copper with some solder, paint or light oxidation |
| Insulated copper cable | Mixed cable with insulation, 60 to 70% copper recovery |
These are the ScrapTrade Price Index definitions. Individual yards and countries use their own grade names and specifications, so ask your buyer for theirs.
Which grade is yours?
Work down the list.
- Is there insulation? If yes, it is insulated cable, unless you strip it. The index says insulated cable recovers 60 to 70% copper, so the yard pays for the copper it expects to recover, not the weight on the scale.
- Is it bare wire, clean and shiny, with no coating? That is the bare bright description.
- Is it clean tube, bus bar or thick wire? That is the No. 1 description, which asks for pieces at least 1/16 inch thick.
- Does it have solder, paint, fittings or surface oxidation? That is the No. 2 description.
- Is it a mix of the above? Sort it, because a yard may price a mixed lot at the lowest grade in it.
What each difference does to a price
A price per kilogram for copper scrap is built as the benchmark multiplied by the share the yard pays for the grade, less deductions. On 29 October 2026 the benchmark was about A$20.64 a kilogram, from the London Metal Exchange cash price of US$14,560 a tonne and a Reserve Bank rate of US$0.7053 per A$1 [1][2]. We found no sourced share for each grade, so we cannot say what any grade earns. The way to find out is to ask each buyer what share of the benchmark it pays for your grade. The arithmetic is set out in Copper Price Today in A$.
Should you strip insulated cable?
Stripping moves cable towards bare bright, but it costs time, and some cable has a lower copper recovery than the weight suggests. Whether it pays depends on the amount, your time and the gap between the rates, which we cannot source. Ask your buyer to quote both ways, and never cut or strip wiring that could be live.
Customs data as context
Australian customs records split copper scrap into three codes. In 2025-26 the declared export value averaged A$5,236 a tonne for refined copper scrap, A$12,049 for brass and A$12,243 for other copper alloys [3]. These are yearly averages across grades, destinations and shipment sizes, and they are not yard prices. The records do not show which of those codes a load of bare bright wire falls under.
Selling it
If you sell as a business, the ATO's scrap code expects an ABN or the buyer withholds 47%, and in NSW and Victoria dealers cannot pay cash. See What If Every Scrap Trade Were on the Books?. On ScrapTrade you list with photos and pricing preferences and review buyer offers, as set out on How It Works, and the Trust & Safety page says payment is held in escrow from the moment a deal is confirmed. Listing the grade you can show, with photos, lets buyers compare like with like. Create a free account to try it. ScrapTrade has a commercial interest in the scrap trade.
What we could not verify
- A sourced Australian yard price for any grade.
- The share of the benchmark each grade earns.
- How other yards define their grades.
- Which customs code a given load of copper falls under.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between bare bright and No. 1 copper?
By the index definitions, bare bright is clean, uncoated wire with no insulation, and No. 1 is clean tube, bus bar and wire at least 1/16 inch thick. Yards may define them differently.
Why is insulated cable worth less per kilogram?
The weight includes insulation, and the index says insulated cable recovers 60 to 70% copper.
What is copper scrap worth per kilogram in Australia?
It depends on the grade and the day. The benchmark was about A$20.64 a kilogram on 29 October 2026, and scrap sells below it [1][2].
Sources
- Westmetall, Official LME prices, 29 October 2026.
- Reserve Bank of Australia, Exchange rates, 29 October 2026 (US$0.7053 per A$1).
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, waste exports data (ABS records), AHECC 74040018, 74040022, 74040030, ScrapTrade calculations. 2025-26 figures are provisional.
Figures are indicative and not an offer or advice. ScrapTrade operates a scrap marketplace and has a commercial interest in the scrap trade.