That box of leftover wire might be worth more than you think
A leftover spool can still be wire someone will pull, or it can be scrap. Those are different sales. List the usable wire for local pickup. BuildTrader does not take a cut of a materials sale.
Usable wire versus scrap
A full spool or a long uncut run is still cable another electrician can install. Scrap is what is left when the jacket is off, the pieces are short, or the copper is damaged. A tradesperson is buying a supply-house trip they can skip. A yard is buying metal. If the wire is still usable, list it as wire before you treat it as scrap. That is advice about who the buyer is, not a promise about price.
Copper prices
The figures below are monthly readings from the commodity tracker, not a live tape and not a scrapyard's per-pound quote. The dollar series is the IMF global copper benchmark, in U.S. dollars per metric ton. The scrap series is a Bureau of Labor Statistics index for No. 2 copper scrap, including wire: a level against a base year, so only the direction means anything. Both are published through FRED at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and each number names the month it covers. Use them to see which way the metal is moving, then price a spool as wire if it is still wire.
Copper
Global benchmark copper: wire, tube and flashing. U.S. dollars per metric ton.
Through September 2026
Price
$14,473/t
+142 +0.99%
12 months
+44.81%
Sep 2026 · $14,473/t+56.3% over 2Y
Copper scrap
No. 2 copper scrap, including wire. The salvage floor under leftover romex and cut-offs.
Through September 2026
Index level
1,396
+18 +1.33%
12 months
+59.84%
Sep 2026 · 1,396+58.3% over 2Y
Monthly readings, not a live tape. The copper price is U.S. dollars per metric ton, not a per-pound scrap quote. The scrap line is an index level, not dollars. Chart history runs as far back as the cached series, up to ten years. Source: FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, series PCOPPUSDM, WPU10230102. The full board is on markets.
What to put on the listing
Leftover Romex, a partial spool, and a box of THHN offcuts are different products. Say which one you have. NM-B is the cable type people often call Romex; if the jacket is printed, quote it.
- Gauge
- Type: NM-B, THHN, UF, or whatever is printed on the jacket
- Length, or how much of the spool is left
- New on the spool, or cut-offs
- Whether the insulation is intact
How yards sort copper
Yards use category names, and the rules differ by yard. These are the usual ones, so you can read a yard's board. They are not BuildTrader categories. If the wire is still usable, list it as electrical wire.
- Bare bright: clean, uncoated copper wire with the insulation already off, and no paint or corrosion. Yards are particular about gauge and cleanliness.
- #1: clean copper, often pipe or heavy wire, free of solder, paint, and fittings.
- #2: copper with solder, paint, or other light contamination.
- Insulated: wire still in its jacket. Less of the weight is metal, which is why yards price it apart from bare copper.
Only sell wire you own
List wire you own or have authority to sell. The posting form requires that affirmation, and it is stored with the listing. Wire from a job that is not yours does not belong here. The terms say the same thing.
Common questions
Is it worth stripping wire?
Stripping is labor, and yards do not all pay the same spread between insulated wire and bare. If the run is long and the jacket is intact, another tradesperson may want it as wire, which skips the question. If it is already short cut-offs, compare your time with what a yard near you actually posts for each category. This page does not quote a per-pound price.
How do I price a partial spool?
Say the gauge, the type, and how much is left. A partial spool of new wire is priced as wire someone can still install, unless it is only good for scrap. The copper benchmark above is direction, in dollars per metric ton, not a formula for your spool.
Do buyers pick up?
Yes. Wire listed with materials is local pickup. The listing shows an approximate area. You share the exact spot in messages after you agree.
On the site
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