Average Christmas Lights Price

Blended rate: local Miami, Florida prices + national trend. As of 2/17/2026.
$0.30/ lb -$0.45 (10.8%)
Use this as a baseline for negotiations. Always call local yards to confirm their rate for your load size.GT = Gross Ton (2240 lbs)
Avg: $0.30
Lowest price $0.15
Highest price$0.50Who pays the most? ⟶
How to read a yard's offer

The min/max range reflects a blended index (local + national data). Your local high may be lower.

  • Low (up to $0.15): Floor price, typically for small loads.
  • Mid ($0.30): A fair deal for standard quantities.
  • High ($0.50+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
52-week price range
Over the past year, prices ranged from $0.15 to $2.99.
Mar '25Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Today
Market response to COMEX pricing
Spread vs. exchange (180-day avg): ~97.2% (-$5.22/lb). Typical spread for this grade: 39%–59%
⚠️ Local prices haven’t caught up with the exchange yet
Market snapshot
Stable market. Prices have held steady over the past 6 months.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates today.

Christmas Lights price reference for Miami, Florida

Scrap yards in Miami, Florida don’t always update their prices in real time. To give you a reliable current value, we use the U.S. national average ($0.38/lb). The secondary metals market tracks exchange moves consistently across the country. Use this national figure as your benchmark when negotiating with local yards. Christmas Lights prices across the U.S. →

Top Paying Scrap Yards for Christmas Lights in Miami, FL

These are scrap yards in Miami, Florida that recently updated Christmas Lights prices in our database. Call them to lock in a quote. If your city isn't listed, use the National Index above as a bargaining reference with your nearest buyer.

💼 Scrap yard owners: Post your buy prices and get more customers
By price
By date
Updated 32 days ago

Scrap X

Listed as: X-mas lights
3177 NW 26th St, Miami, FL 33142 Get Directions
$0.15 / lb
Updated 32 days ago

USA Scrap Metal & Recycling

Listed as: X-mas Lights
3147 NW N River Dr, Miami, FL 33142 Get Directions
$0.15 / lb

Don’t see your scrap yard in Miami, Florida? List it for free.

Hundreds of sellers in your area search for current scrap prices every day. Post your buy prices and start getting calls.

🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶

Christmas Lights vs. Standard Insulated Wire

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.

Sort separately
Computer Wire Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$0.43 / lb How to sort?
Mix it with Christmas Lights?They’ll pay $0.30 for all of it
Loss if not sorted:-$0.13 per lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
MCM & Industrial Cable Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$3.82 / lb
Trend (30d): -4.4%
Price analytics
THHN Wire Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$3.46 / lb
Trend (30d): -4.5%
Price analytics
#1 Insulated Wire Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$2.80 / lb
Trend (6m): +13.0%
Price analytics
Romex® Wire Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$2.55 / lb
Trend (6m): +26.1%
Price analytics
Coax & Heliax Cable Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$2.11 / lb
Trend (30d): +6.5%
Price analytics
Telecom & Data Wire Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$1.76 / lb
Trend (30d): +15.0%
Price analytics
Wire Harnesses Estimated prices in Florida
Avg price:$1.40 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Jelly Wire Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$1.03 / lb
Trend (6m): +4.9%
Price analytics
#2 Insulated Wire Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.85 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
#3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$0.84 / lb
Trend (30d): -6.3%
Price analytics
Armored Cable (BX) Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$0.63 / lb
Trend (30d): +29.2%
Price analytics

Historical Christmas Lights Price Trends

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.

Christmas Lights: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)

Avg scrap yard price

$0.30
Scrap metal dealers
Spread: -$5.22/lb
vs. exchange

World market price (COMEX)

$5.3745
✓ For 99.9% pure refined metal
💡 Why is the scrap yard price lower than the exchange? The COMEX price is the global benchmark for 99.99% pure refined metal traded in large institutional contracts. The gap between COMEX and what you pocket is the yard’s margin — it covers sorting, cleaning, transport to the mill, and protects them against sudden price drops.

Christmas Lights: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History

Analyst take: This month’s average spread between scrap yard prices and the world market for Christmas Lights is 97.2%. That’s in line with the typical range for this grade (94%–100%). Local yards are offering fair market rates. Check offers in your area ↑
PeriodWorld price (per lb)Scrap yard price (per lb)Spread vs. exchange
March 2026 (current)$5.767857$2.39-$3.37 (58.5%)
February 2026$5.880136$2.57-$3.31 (56.2%)
January 2026$5.894887$3.54-$2.36 (40%)
December 2025$5.497742$3.30-$2.20 (40%)
November 2025$5.064033$3.04-$2.03 (40%)
October 2025$5.050242$3.03-$2.02 (40%)
September 2025$4.662367$2.80-$1.87 (40%)
August 2025$4.477984$2.69-$1.79 (40%)
July 2025$5.482645$3.29-$2.19 (40%)
June 2025$4.883233$2.93-$1.95 (40%)
May 2025$4.686194$2.81-$1.87 (40%)
April 2025$4.654267$2.79-$1.86 (40%)
March 2025$4.919484$2.95-$1.97 (40%)
February 2025$4.558107$2.74-$1.82 (40%)
January 2025$4.269774$2.56-$1.71 (40%)
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$2.58-$1.72 (40%)
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$2.85-$1.90 (40%)
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$2.32-$1.55 (40%)
November 2023$3.720817$2.23-$1.49 (40%)
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$2.28-$1.52 (40%)
May 2023$3.751484$2.25-$1.50 (40%)
April 2023$4.007367$2.40-$1.60 (40%)
March 2023$4.02821$1.87-$2.16 (53.6%)
February 2023$4.06475$2.44-$1.63 (40%)
January 2023$4.115113$1.87-$2.25 (54.7%)
December 2022$3.820726$2.29-$1.53 (40%)
November 2022$3.674017$2.20-$1.47 (40%)
October 2022$3.430419$2.06-$1.37 (40%)
September 2022$3.455283$2.07-$1.38 (40%)
August 2022$3.616468$2.17-$1.45 (40%)
July 2022$3.4195$2.05-$1.37 (40%)
June 2022$4.118667$2.47-$1.65 (40%)
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$2.66-$1.77 (40%)
December 2021$4.332226$2.60-$1.73 (40%)
November 2021$4.367567$2.62-$1.75 (40%)
October 2021$4.432371$2.66-$1.77 (40%)
September 2021$4.2864$2.57-$1.71 (40%)
August 2021$4.302984$2.58-$1.72 (40%)
July 2021$4.347452$2.61-$1.74 (40%)
June 2021$4.388783$2.63-$1.76 (40%)
May 2021$4.618871$2.77-$1.85 (40%)
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$2.16-$1.44 (40%)
December 2020$3.546903$2.13-$1.42 (40%)
November 2020$3.21755$1.93-$1.29 (40%)
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$1.60-$1.06 (40%)
October 2019$2.621613$1.57-$1.05 (40%)
September 2019$2.622025$1.50-$1.12 (42.8%)

Christmas Lights 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.

DateAvg price (per lb)ChangeRange (Low/High)
2/17/2026$0.15 / lb-$0.15$0.15 - $0.15
3/13/2023$0.30 / lb+$0.10$0.30 - $0.30
1/22/2023$0.20 / lb+$0.10$0.20 - $0.20

Untangling the Value: Cashing in on Christmas Lights

Every scrapper eventually ends up with a tangled ball of broken holiday lights. While they might look like standard wire, Christmas Lights are a unique grade at the scrap yard. They contain an incredibly low amount of copper compared to the massive amount of plastic casing and glass bulbs. Because the copper recovery rate is so poor, yards pay significantly less for this material than standard electrical wire. Our data shows the national floor sitting around $0.30 per pound for tangled, bulky loads, while clean strings clipped free of heavy plastic adapters can fetch up to $0.50. The national average generally hovers at $0.38.

Don't Let the Scale Beat You: Prepping Holiday Wire

When you hit the scale in Miami, the buyer is evaluating your load based on how much garbage they have to process to get to the copper. Because holiday lights are essentially a specialized form of #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade), mixing them with better material is a rookie mistake. If you toss Christmas lights into a barrel of #2 Insulated Wire or #1 Insulated Wire, the scale master will downgrade your entire load to the Christmas light price. Keep them strictly separated.

Yard Pro Tip: Most yards buy Christmas lights with the small glass or plastic mini-bulbs still attached, so don't waste hours pulling them out. However, if your strings have heavy plastic control boxes, battery packs, or massive vintage C9 bulb casings, snip those off. Excess plastic kills the copper recovery percentage, and buyers will heavily downgrade your load—or reject it entirely as shred—if there is too much non-metal weight.
Material ConditionYard Expectation
Standard Mini-LightsBulbs attached, no heavy adapters or battery packs. Pays the standard holiday light rate.
Adapter-Heavy LoadsTangled strings with heavy plastic wall plugs, control boxes, or massive plastic fixtures still attached. Often downgraded at the scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Christmas lights priced so low?

It comes down to copper recovery. A strand of holiday lights is mostly plastic insulation, glass bulbs, and very fine copper hair-wire. To extract the metal, processing facilities have to chop and separate a lot of garbage. Factoring in the COMEX spot price and processing costs, yards typically pay roughly 97.2% below bare bright value for this specific grade.

Do I need to take the tiny bulbs out?

For standard mini-lights, no. The vast majority of yards taking Christmas Lights at the $0.38 national average accept them with the bulbs attached. Trying to pull hundreds of tiny bulbs out is a waste of your time. Just ensure you cut off heavy plastic battery packs, control boxes, and massive wall-plug adapters.

Can I mix these with my regular household wire?

Never. If you mix holiday lights into a bucket of $1.60 to $2.15/lb or $2.40 to $3.90/lb, the yard buyer will downgrade the whole bucket. Always keep your Christmas lights completely separate from your heavier gauge electrical scrap to maximize your total payout.