Guide ยท Copper and aluminum
Copper or aluminium: what your cable is worth.
Two reels can look identical on a rack and be worth very different amounts. The difference is the conductor, and it is visible in about ten seconds.
Call or text the buying desk954-740-1983
Copper, cleanSalmon to bright red
Aluminum, cleanSilver-grey, dulls fast
WeightAluminum is much lighter
MagnetNeither conductor sticks
Get a buy quote
Send the reel list. A buyer reads it.
Six details are enough to start. Tags and photos can follow by text or email once a buyer has looked at the basics.
- A buyer reviews the lot: construction, footage and condition, not only metal weight
- Copper and aluminium, 600 V building wire through 345 kV cable
- Full reels, partial reels, cut lengths, pallets and truckloads
- No fee, no obligation, and no automatic pickup
Reel list · Copper vs Aluminium
Reviewed by a buyerTell us what you have and where it sits. Nothing is moved until written lot terms are agreed.
01
Telling them apart on the rack
Start at a cut end, not at the jacket. The print says what the product is supposed to be; the conductor says what it is. Scuff the end on a rag, because both metals oxidize and the colour under the oxide is the one that matters. A magnet belongs in the same pocket, since steel armour and steel-cored line conductor will attract one and neither conductor should.
- Cut end: salmon-red for copper, silver-grey for aluminum
- Weight in the hand: aluminum is roughly half the density
- Strand surface: aluminum marks and flattens more easily
- Corrosion: aluminum goes white and powdery, copper goes green
- Magnet: no attraction from either conductor
02
Why the two are valued differently
Value follows recovery, and recovery follows the metal. Copper is a high-value scrap with a long chain of buyers and a narrow spread between the yard and the mill. Aluminum costs less per pound, is bulkier for the same conductance, and its recovery depends on alloy and cleanliness. That is why a truckload of aluminum is worth buying and a truckload of copper is worth buying carefully.
03
What changes the number
Size and footage set the base. Above it, several details move a lot in either direction, and most of them are printed somewhere on the reel or visible at a cut end. A clean, dry, tagged reel carrying a current product is a different proposition from a weathered coil with nothing to identify it. The same metal in the two states is two different lots.
- Strand class, and whether the conductor is compact
- Tinned copper against bare copper
- Modern aluminum alloy against older conductor
- Insulation type, and whether a spec still allows it
- Condition of the ends and the outer wraps
04
Where sellers get it wrong
The usual errors repeat. Bright silver metal is assumed to be tinned copper when it is aluminum. A heavy reel is assumed to be copper when the weight is the steel flange. A reel of aluminum is written off when it is a perfectly good 500 kcmil feeder. A mixed pallet is described as copper because most of it is, which makes the whole load suspect the moment it is weighed.
| Check | Copper | Aluminum |
|---|---|---|
| Cut-end colour | Salmon to red-brown | Silver-grey to white |
| Weight for the same size | Heavier | About half |
| Oxidation | Green or dark brown | White powder |
| Conductivity | Higher per unit area | Lower, so more metal |
| Typical use | Branch, feeder, grounding | Service, feeder, URD, line |
Questions
Answers before you send anything.
If your question is not here, call the desk. A buyer answers, not a call centre.
Is tinned copper the same as aluminum?
No, and it is the mistake that costs sellers most. Tinned copper is silver on the outside and copper underneath, so scratch it and the colour changes. Aluminum is silver all the way through and goes white where it is scratched. A knife edge settles it in seconds.
Does aluminum cable have any value?
Yes, and plenty of it. Large service and feeder work has been aluminum for decades, and utilities run aluminum line conductor almost exclusively. It is bought on its own weight and alloy, not written off because it is not copper.
How do I know if it is an older aluminum alloy?
The jacket print and the tag usually name the alloy or the product family. Aluminum building wire from the 1960s and 1970s is treated differently from modern alloy conductor, and the print is what a buyer will read before deciding.
What if a pallet has both metals on it?
Say so, and separate what you can. A mixed pallet is bought, but it is priced after sorting and the sorting happens on the buyer's time. Clear separation before pickup is the cheapest improvement a seller can make to a mixed lot.
Keep reading
Related pages
No fee · no obligation
You have the cable. We have a scale and a check.
Send the reel list, the tags or a photograph of the pallet. A buyer comes back with what the lot is worth and how pickup would work, before anything is moved.
954-740-1983 Call or text
- Reel tags, or the print on the jacket
- Reel count and footage, even roughly
- Where it sits and what can reach it
- Whether the cable is still energised