#1 Insulated Wire Scrap Prices in Pennsylvania
Current national pricing for #1 Insulated Wire averages $2.99 per pound. Find the top local buyers in Pennsylvania and check today's rates before hauling your material to the scale.
Average #1 Insulated Wire Price
- Low (up to $1.81): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($2.44): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($3.20+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 6 live board rates today.
Top Scrap Yards Buying #1 Insulated Wire in Pennsylvania
Check the list below to find local scales in Pennsylvania taking #1 Insulated Wire. Prices fluctuate daily based on COMEX market movements, so always call the buyers ahead of time to lock in your rate before loading up the truck.
Sahd Metal Recycling
Brenner Recycling
Weiner Iron & Metal Corp
Paz Metals Inc.
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶Compare #1 Insulated Wire vs. Other Cable Grades
The #1 rule at scrap yards: if you mix grades, they’ll weigh everything at the lowest rate. See the price gap below — if you have higher-value metal, always sort and weigh each grade separately to avoid leaving money on the table.
Historical Price Trends for #1 Insulated Wire
This chart shows where the market is headed. If the line is climbing, prices are rising — you might get a better deal in a few days. If it’s dropping, don’t wait: sell today before yards lower their buy prices further.
#1 Insulated Wire: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (COMEX)
#1 Insulated Wire: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $5.764324 | $2.77 | -$3.00 (52%) |
| February 2026 | $5.880136 | $3.12 | -$2.76 (46.9%) |
| January 2026 | $5.894887 | $3.44 | -$2.45 (41.6%) |
| December 2025 | $5.497742 | $3.11 | -$2.39 (43.5%) |
| November 2025 | $5.064033 | $2.93 | -$2.14 (42.2%) |
| October 2025 | $5.050242 | $2.98 | -$2.08 (41.1%) |
| September 2025 | $4.662367 | $2.55 | -$2.11 (45.4%) |
| August 2025 | $4.477984 | $2.37 | -$2.11 (47%) |
| July 2025 | $5.482645 | $3.04 | -$2.44 (44.5%) |
| June 2025 | $4.883233 | $2.55 | -$2.33 (47.8%) |
| May 2025 | $4.686194 | $2.56 | -$2.13 (45.4%) |
| April 2025 | $4.654267 | $2.74 | -$1.91 (41.1%) |
| March 2025 | $4.919484 | $2.79 | -$2.13 (43.4%) |
| February 2025 | $4.558107 | $2.74 | -$1.82 (40%) |
| January 2025 | $4.269774 | $2.45 | -$1.82 (42.6%) |
| December 2024 | $4.157855 | $2.50 | -$1.66 (40%) |
| November 2024 | $4.199383 | $2.52 | -$1.68 (40%) |
| October 2024 | $4.431839 | $2.66 | -$1.77 (40%) |
| September 2024 | $4.292683 | $2.57 | -$1.72 (40.1%) |
| August 2024 | $4.121839 | $2.47 | -$1.65 (40%) |
| July 2024 | $4.375242 | $2.63 | -$1.75 (40%) |
| June 2024 | $4.491083 | $2.70 | -$1.80 (40%) |
| May 2024 | $4.75471 | $1.99 | -$2.76 (58.1%) |
| April 2024 | $4.363717 | $2.62 | -$1.74 (40%) |
| March 2024 | $3.983645 | $2.39 | -$1.59 (40%) |
| February 2024 | $3.801776 | $2.28 | -$1.52 (40%) |
| January 2024 | $3.811306 | $2.29 | -$1.52 (40%) |
| December 2023 | $3.871226 | $2.16 | -$1.71 (44.3%) |
| November 2023 | $3.720817 | $2.01 | -$1.71 (45.9%) |
| October 2023 | $3.609306 | $2.17 | -$1.44 (40%) |
| September 2023 | $3.759833 | $2.26 | -$1.50 (40%) |
| August 2023 | $3.776097 | $2.27 | -$1.51 (40%) |
| July 2023 | $3.8455 | $2.31 | -$1.54 (40%) |
| June 2023 | $3.804983 | $2.27 | -$1.54 (40.4%) |
| May 2023 | $3.751484 | $2.25 | -$1.50 (40%) |
| April 2023 | $4.007367 | $2.40 | -$1.60 (40%) |
| March 2023 | $4.02821 | $2.26 | -$1.77 (43.8%) |
| February 2023 | $4.06475 | $2.35 | -$1.72 (42.3%) |
| January 2023 | $4.115113 | $2.44 | -$1.68 (40.8%) |
| December 2022 | $3.820726 | $2.29 | -$1.53 (40%) |
| November 2022 | $3.674017 | $2.20 | -$1.47 (40%) |
| October 2022 | $3.430419 | $2.04 | -$1.39 (40.6%) |
| September 2022 | $3.455283 | $1.78 | -$1.67 (48.5%) |
| August 2022 | $3.616468 | $2.17 | -$1.45 (40%) |
| July 2022 | $3.4195 | $2.05 | -$1.37 (40%) |
| June 2022 | $4.118667 | $2.38 | -$1.74 (42.3%) |
| May 2022 | $4.257274 | $2.55 | -$1.70 (40%) |
| April 2022 | $4.649533 | $2.79 | -$1.86 (40%) |
| March 2022 | $4.707694 | $2.83 | -$1.88 (40%) |
| February 2022 | $4.502304 | $2.70 | -$1.80 (40%) |
| January 2022 | $4.4345 | $2.36 | -$2.08 (46.9%) |
| December 2021 | $4.332226 | $2.60 | -$1.73 (40%) |
| November 2021 | $4.367567 | $2.62 | -$1.75 (40%) |
| October 2021 | $4.432371 | $2.51 | -$1.92 (43.3%) |
| September 2021 | $4.2864 | $2.57 | -$1.71 (40%) |
| August 2021 | $4.302984 | $2.57 | -$1.73 (40.3%) |
| July 2021 | $4.347452 | $2.52 | -$1.83 (42.1%) |
| June 2021 | $4.388783 | $2.63 | -$1.76 (40%) |
| May 2021 | $4.618871 | $2.65 | -$1.97 (42.7%) |
| April 2021 | $4.192633 | $2.51 | -$1.68 (40%) |
| March 2021 | $4.084726 | $2.45 | -$1.63 (40%) |
| February 2021 | $3.861 | $2.32 | -$1.54 (40%) |
| January 2021 | $3.607435 | $1.89 | -$1.72 (47.7%) |
| December 2020 | $3.546903 | $1.94 | -$1.60 (45.2%) |
| November 2020 | $3.21755 | $1.71 | -$1.51 (47%) |
| October 2020 | $3.060177 | $1.84 | -$1.22 (40%) |
| September 2020 | $3.0352 | $1.82 | -$1.21 (40%) |
| August 2020 | $2.909726 | $1.75 | -$1.16 (40%) |
| July 2020 | $2.867581 | $1.72 | -$1.15 (40%) |
| June 2020 | $2.5983 | $1.56 | -$1.04 (40%) |
| May 2020 | $2.377403 | $1.43 | -$0.95 (40%) |
| April 2020 | $2.28595 | $1.37 | -$0.91 (40%) |
| March 2020 | $2.356968 | $1.41 | -$0.94 (40%) |
| February 2020 | $2.574707 | $1.54 | -$1.03 (40.1%) |
| January 2020 | $2.759935 | $1.66 | -$1.10 (40%) |
| December 2019 | $2.774145 | $1.67 | -$1.11 (39.9%) |
| November 2019 | $2.660717 | $1.42 | -$1.25 (46.8%) |
| October 2019 | $2.621613 | $1.57 | -$1.05 (40%) |
| September 2019 | $2.615533 | $1.57 | -$1.05 (40%) |
| August 2019 | $2.576597 | $1.55 | -$1.03 (40%) |
| July 2019 | $2.693468 | $1.62 | -$1.08 (40%) |
| June 2019 | $2.671833 | $1.60 | -$1.07 (40%) |
| May 2019 | $2.7395 | $1.64 | -$1.10 (40%) |
| April 2019 | $2.914283 | $1.75 | -$1.17 (40%) |
| March 2019 | $2.902032 | $1.74 | -$1.16 (40%) |
| February 2019 | $2.845929 | $1.51 | -$1.33 (46.8%) |
| January 2019 | $2.675468 | $1.61 | -$1.07 (40%) |
| December 2018 | $2.724823 | $1.64 | -$1.09 (40%) |
| November 2018 | $2.7578 | $1.65 | -$1.10 (40%) |
| October 2018 | $2.768435 | $1.66 | -$1.11 (40%) |
| September 2018 | $2.712817 | $1.63 | -$1.09 (40%) |
| August 2018 | $2.706081 | $1.62 | -$1.08 (40%) |
| July 2018 | $2.807597 | $1.69 | -$1.12 (40%) |
| June 2018 | $3.1238 | $1.87 | -$1.25 (40%) |
| May 2018 | $3.080177 | $1.85 | -$1.23 (40%) |
| April 2018 | $3.08635 | $1.85 | -$1.23 (40%) |
| March 2018 | $3.080758 | $1.85 | -$1.23 (40%) |
| February 2018 | $3.17875 | $1.91 | -$1.27 (40%) |
| January 2018 | $3.215161 | $1.93 | -$1.29 (40%) |
| December 2017 | $3.134855 | $1.88 | -$1.25 (40%) |
| November 2017 | $3.105817 | $1.86 | -$1.24 (40%) |
| October 2017 | $3.103887 | $1.86 | -$1.24 (40%) |
| September 2017 | $3.00865 | $1.80 | -$1.20 (40%) |
| August 2017 | $2.957097 | $1.77 | -$1.18 (40%) |
| July 2017 | $2.732484 | $1.64 | -$1.09 (40%) |
| June 2017 | $2.605467 | $1.56 | -$1.04 (40%) |
| May 2017 | $2.556677 | $1.53 | -$1.02 (40%) |
| April 2017 | $2.595367 | $1.56 | -$1.04 (40%) |
| March 2017 | $2.653452 | $1.59 | -$1.06 (40.1%) |
| February 2017 | $2.69925 | $1.62 | -$1.08 (40%) |
| January 2017 | $2.622903 | $1.57 | -$1.05 (40%) |
| December 2016 | $2.497143 | $1.43 | -$1.06 (42.6%) |
#1 Insulated Wire Scrap Price History — Daily Data
A day-by-day market snapshot in exact numbers. Every day we aggregate buy prices from local scrap yards, recording the average, low, and high. Use this table to track real price movement over recent days.
| Date | Avg price (per lb) | Change | Range (Low/High) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/19/2026 | $2.75 / lb | -$0.15 | $2.75 - $2.75 |
| 3/18/2026 | $2.90 / lb | +$1.33 | $2.90 - $2.90 |
| 3/4/2026 | $1.57 / lb | -$1.53 | $1.05 - $1.85 |
| 2/17/2026 | $3.10 / lb | +$0.25 | $3.00 - $3.20 |
| 1/5/2026 | $2.85 / lb | +$0.15 | $2.85 - $2.85 |
| 12/19/2025 | $2.70 / lb | +$0.10 | $2.70 - $2.70 |
| 11/20/2025 | $2.60 / lb | -$0.20 | $2.60 - $2.60 |
| 10/14/2025 | $2.80 / lb | +$0.10 | $2.80 - $2.80 |
| 9/25/2025 | $2.70 / lb | +$0.25 | $2.70 - $2.70 |
| 9/19/2025 | $2.45 / lb | +$0.25 | $2.45 - $2.45 |
| 9/12/2025 | $2.20 / lb | +$0.70 | $2.20 - $2.20 |
| 8/30/2025 | $1.50 / lb | -$0.90 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 7/15/2025 | $2.40 / lb | +$0.90 | $2.40 - $2.40 |
| 6/11/2025 | $1.50 / lb | -$0.30 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 5/21/2025 | $1.80 / lb | -$0.90 | $1.80 - $1.80 |
| 4/30/2025 | $2.70 / lb | +$0.30 | $2.70 - $2.70 |
| 3/24/2025 | $2.40 / lb | +$0.27 | $2.40 - $2.40 |
| 1/25/2025 | $2.13 / lb | -$0.47 | $1.96 - $2.30 |
| 1/13/2025 | $2.60 / lb | +$0.15 | $2.60 - $2.60 |
| 9/8/2024 | $2.45 / lb | +$1.30 | $2.45 - $2.45 |
| 5/29/2024 | $1.15 / lb | -$0.15 | $1.15 - $1.15 |
| 5/18/2024 | $1.30 / lb | -$0.65 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 12/10/2023 | $1.95 / lb | +$0.75 | $1.95 - $1.95 |
| 12/2/2023 | $1.20 / lb | -$1.00 | $1.20 - $1.20 |
| 6/8/2023 | $2.20 / lb | +$0.45 | $2.20 - $2.20 |
| 3/21/2023 | $1.75 / lb | -$0.25 | $1.75 - $1.75 |
| 2/6/2023 | $2.00 / lb | +$0.15 | $2.00 - $2.00 |
| 10/3/2022 | $1.85 / lb | +$0.85 | $1.85 - $1.85 |
| 9/27/2022 | $1.00 / lb | -$0.99 | $1.00 - $1.00 |
| 6/25/2022 | $1.99 / lb | +$0.49 | $1.99 - $1.99 |
| 1/22/2022 | $1.50 / lb | -$0.73 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 10/22/2021 | $2.23 / lb | -$0.06 | $2.23 - $2.23 |
| 8/1/2021 | $2.29 / lb | -$0.05 | $2.29 - $2.29 |
| 5/13/2021 | $2.34 / lb | +$1.24 | $2.34 - $2.34 |
| 1/16/2021 | $1.10 / lb | +$0.10 | $1.10 - $1.10 |
| 12/5/2020 | $1.00 / lb | +$0.10 | $1.00 - $1.00 |
| 12/2/2020 | $0.90 / lb | — no change | $0.90 - $0.90 |
| 11/20/2019 | $0.90 / lb | -$0.10 | $0.90 - $0.90 |
| 2/19/2019 | $1.00 / lb | -$0.05 | $1.00 - $1.00 |
The Real Deal on #1 Insulated Wire Pricing
If you're stripping houses or pulling heavy commercial cable, #1 Insulated Wire (ICW) is your bread and butter. Right now, national averages are sitting at $2.99 per pound, but depending on the buyer and the volume you push, you'll see rates swinging anywhere from $2.40 on the low end to $3.90 for premium loads. This market ties directly to the COMEX copper exchange, usually trailing spot prices by about 54%. Local scrap yards in Pennsylvania factor in processing costs and recovery rates, which means the cleaner and thicker your wire, the closer you get to that top-tier payout.
Don't Leave Money on the Scale: Sorting & Prep
One of the biggest rookie mistakes is throwing all your wire into one gaylord box. If you toss lower-grade telecom wire or appliance cords in with your heavy THHN, the scale master will downgrade the entire bin. Mixing clean #1 ICW with MCM & Industrial Cable or basic Romex can cost you around $0.91 per pound instantly. Keep your piles separated to maximize your ticket.
What Actually Qualifies as #1 ICW?
To get the #1 grade, the copper wire inside the insulation must be bare, uncoated, and unalloyed. Think thick gauges: single-strand solid wire or thick-stranded cable (typically 16 gauge and thicker). It cannot have any tin coating, solder, brass fittings, or burnt insulation.
| Grade | Characteristics | National Range |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Insulated Wire | Bare, bright copper inside, thick strands (16+ gauge), no tin coating. | $2.40 - $3.90/lb |
| #2 Insulated Wire | Tinned copper, hair-thin strands, or heavy insulation like extension cords. | $1.60 to $2.27/lb |
| #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) | Communication wire, data cables, high plastic-to-copper ratio. | $0.60 to $1.20/lb |
| Armored Cable (BX) | Copper wire wrapped in a steel or aluminum outer shielding. | $0.50 to $0.95/lb |
Yard Pro Tip: Always check the cut ends of your wire. If the exposed strands look silvery, take your pocket knife and scratch the surface. If it reveals shiny copper underneath, it's tinned copper. Tinned copper automatically downgrades the wire to #2 Insulated Wire, regardless of how thick the gauge is. Don't try to sneak it into your #1 pile—buyers will spot it and might downgrade your entire load just for the hassle.
To Strip or Not to Strip?
Deciding whether to strip your #1 ICW depends on your volume and tools. If you have an automatic wire stripper, converting #1 ICW to bare bright copper is often worth the effort. The standard recovery rate (the amount of actual copper weight versus plastic) for #1 ICW is usually between 70% and 80%. If you're hand-stripping with a utility knife, save your hands and just sell it insulated unless you're sitting on hundreds of pounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the price of #1 Insulated Wire change so often?
Buyers base their payouts directly on the COMEX copper market. When spot prices shift, yards adjust their board prices accordingly. Currently, expect payouts to sit about 54% below the spot price to cover the yard's recovery and processing margins.
Can I include burnt wire in my #1 Insulated pile?
Absolutely not. Burning wire is illegal in most areas and yards will severely downgrade or outright reject it due to environmental regulations and the messy soot left on the copper. Sell it as is or strip it mechanically.
What is a good average price for this grade?
Our data shows a solid national average of $2.99 per pound. However, if you're pushing thousands of pounds on a commercial job, you can often negotiate a slightly better rate with buyers in Pennsylvania.
#1 Insulated Wire scrap prices in Pennsylvania on the map
The map shows cities in Pennsylvania with #1 Insulated Wire scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see #1 Insulated Wire prices in that location.