Scrap Metal Buyers.
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Scrap Copper Buyers
We pay top prices for all grades of copper — bright, heavy, braziery, dry bright wire and more.
About Scrap Copper
Copper is the most valuable everyday non-ferrous metal and we specialise in it. Whether you’re a plumber clearing out off-cuts, an electrician with cable ends, or a demolition contractor stripping a building, we want your copper. We grade it correctly so you always get the best price for each type — no blending grades to your detriment.
Grades We Accept Updated 29 May 2026
The highest grade of scrap copper, also known as No.1 copper. Clean, bare, uncoated wire or tube with no solder, no paint and no fittings attached. Typical sources include stripped electrical cable, new copper pipe off-cuts, and bare copper sheet. If it’s shiny and uncontaminated, this is almost certainly what you have.
Learn more → Today’s Price →Also called No.2 copper — copper that has seen use and shows some contamination. Includes central heating pipe with solder joints still attached, coated or painted copper, old boiler tanks and cylinders. Still commands an excellent price, typically around 10–15% below bright copper grade. One of our most common inbound grades.
Learn more → Today’s Price →The lighter end of the copper grading scale, covering thin-gauge copper items. Old kettles, thin copper sheeting, redundant hot water cylinders, and thin radiator panels all fall here. Lower copper content per kilo than thick pipe or wire, but still a worthwhile return. Keep it separate from heavier grades for best accuracy.
Learn more → Today’s Price →Copper cable that has been fully stripped of all insulation, leaving clean, bare copper strands. Grades near bright copper and pays significantly more than unstripped cable. If you have volume cable to shift, mechanically stripping it before you arrive will noticeably increase your payout. Do not burn insulation off — this damages the copper.
Today’s Price →Standard household and commercial electrical cable with PVC insulation intact — accepted unstripped. Includes twin-and-earth, ring-main cable, and general domestic wiring. We price it per tonne based on the estimated copper content inside. No need to strip it yourself, though stripped dry bright wire does earn considerably more per tonne.
Learn more → Today’s Price →Steel wire armoured cable, used throughout industrial and commercial buildings. Accepted as-is — no preparation or stripping required. Common sources include building demolition, factory strip-outs, and full commercial rewires. Priced per tonne on the spot at the depot. All armoured cable accepted regardless of age, condition, or cable diameter.
Learn more → Today’s Price →Who Brings Us Copper?
Trade and domestic customers welcome at all three depots.
What Drives Copper Prices Right Now
Copper is a global commodity — its price shifts daily with London Metal Exchange (LME) movements.
The LME copper price is the single biggest driver of what we pay at the yard. When global demand rises — typically led by China's construction and manufacturing sectors — the LME price rises with it. When industrial output slows, it falls. Unlike gold, copper is an industrial metal, so its price tells you something real about what's happening in the global economy.
One long-term structural trend is pushing copper demand upward: electrification. Electric vehicles use roughly four times more copper than petrol equivalents. Solar panels, wind turbines, and EV charging infrastructure are all copper-intensive. This means demand from the energy transition is providing a long-term floor under copper prices that didn't exist a decade ago.
For sellers, the practical implication is: don't stockpile. Copper sitting in your yard isn't earning interest. Prices can drop 5–10% in a week on a bad macroeconomic signal. We update our prices every morning against the LME opening, so what we offer today reflects the real market — not last week's numbers.
Burning cable is illegal and counterproductive. Some people burn insulation off cable to strip it. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 this is an offence. It also damages the copper — oxidised, burnt wire grades lower and pays less than clean stripped wire. Strip cable mechanically if you want the bright wire price.
Copper Grades — What You're Likely to Have
Getting your grades right before you arrive adds money to your payout.
Bright copper (also called No.1 copper): Clean, bare, uncoated wire or tube. No solder, no fittings, no paint. This is our highest-paying copper grade. New electrical wire ends, stripped cable, bare copper pipe fittings. If a magnet won't stick and it's shiny, it's almost certainly bright copper.
Heavy copper (No.2 copper): Copper that's been used — coated, soldered, slightly contaminated, or with fittings still attached. Old central heating pipe, copper sheet, tanks. Still very good value, pays around 10–15% less than bright.
Braziery: Thin copper — kettles, cylinder tanks, old radiators. Lower copper content per kilo due to thin gauge. We still buy it but at a lower rate than heavy copper.
Dry bright wire: Stripped cable with no insulation. This grades near-bright copper. If you've taken the time to strip your cable, you'll be rewarded — the difference between PVC cable and dry bright wire is significant.
Why QuickStop vs Other Scrap Dealers?
Here's how we compare on the things that matter.
Scrap Copper FAQs
Ready to sell your scrap copper?
Drive in to any of our three depots — no appointment, same day payment.
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