#3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) Scrap Prices in Ohio
Current national average pricing for #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) sits at $0.84 per pound. Find the top-paying local scrap yards in Ohio and compare today's rates before hauling your telecom and data wire to the scale.
Average #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) Price
- Low (up to $0.90): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($0.90): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($0.90+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates today.
Top Scrap Yards Buying #3 Insulated Wire in Ohio
Check the list below to find local buyers in Ohio taking #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade). Because the copper market fluctuates daily with the COMEX, it always pays to call these yards ahead of time to confirm their board prices before you load up your truck.
Livingston & Co., Inc.
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶Compare #3 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 #3 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.
#3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade): Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (COMEX)
#3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade): Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $5.764324 | $2.14 | -$3.63 (63%) |
| February 2026 | $5.880136 | $3.14 | -$2.74 (46.6%) |
| January 2026 | $5.894887 | $3.54 | -$2.36 (40%) |
| December 2025 | $5.497742 | $3.30 | -$2.20 (40%) |
| November 2025 | $5.064033 | $2.64 | -$2.43 (47.9%) |
| October 2025 | $5.050242 | $2.68 | -$2.37 (47%) |
| 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 | $2.05 | -$2.44 (54.3%) |
| 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 | $2.10 | -$1.51 (41.8%) |
| September 2023 | $3.759833 | $1.80 | -$1.96 (52.2%) |
| 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 | $2.42 | -$1.61 (40%) |
| February 2023 | $4.06475 | $2.44 | -$1.63 (40%) |
| January 2023 | $4.115113 | $2.47 | -$1.65 (40%) |
| December 2022 | $3.820726 | $2.02 | -$1.80 (47.1%) |
| November 2022 | $3.674017 | $1.94 | -$1.74 (47.2%) |
| 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 | $3.399732 | $1.97 | -$1.43 (42%) |
#3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4/2026 | $0.90 / lb | +$0.70 | $0.90 - $0.90 |
| 11/5/2025 | $0.20 / lb | -$0.70 | $0.20 - $0.20 |
| 11/3/2025 | $0.90 / lb | +$0.60 | $0.90 - $0.90 |
| 6/15/2024 | $0.30 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.30 - $0.30 |
| 10/1/2023 | $0.25 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.25 - $0.25 |
| 12/4/2022 | $0.20 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.20 - $0.20 |
The Bottom Line on #3 Insulated Wire Pricing
When you're dealing with communication lines, computer cables, or holiday lights, you are looking at #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade). Because the plastic-to-copper ratio is so high, the payouts are the lowest in the copper wire family. Right now, our data shows national average prices sitting at $0.84 per pound. Depending on the buyer and the exact mix of your load, expect rates to range from $0.60 for high-plastic bulk up to $1.20 for cleaner data wire. Yards base these numbers on the COMEX copper market, but because of the intense chopping and processing required to extract the thin copper, prices typically trail spot by a massive 83%.
Don't Nuke Your Payout: Sorting Your Wire
The cardinal rule of the scrap yard is that mixed metal always pays the lowest grade. If you toss a bundle of premium THHN Wire or clean Romex into a gaylord box full of #3 data cables, the scale master will pay you the low-grade price for the entire container. That careless mistake can cost you roughly $2.63 per pound on your good wire. Keep your telecom and data lines far away from your heavy-gauge copper.
Yard Pro Tip: Always keep a magnet handy when sorting low-grade wire, especially if you are throwing in coaxial (coax) cables or cheap electronics cords. Many coax cables have a copper-flashed steel center wire, not pure copper. If the yard inspector runs a magnet over your #3 bin and it sticks, they will often downgrade the entire load to shred steel pricing—or reject it entirely. Keep the magnetic coax out of your pure copper wire bins!
Wire Grade Comparison
Make sure you know exactly what is in the back of your truck in Ohio so you can argue for the right ticket price at the scale.
| Grade | What It Is | National Range |
|---|---|---|
| #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) | CAT5/CAT6, ethernet, coax, computer ribbons, Christmas lights. Under 35% copper. | $0.60 - $1.20/lb |
| #2 Insulated Wire | Extension cords, tinned copper, appliance wire. Usually 40-55% copper. | $1.60 to $2.27/lb |
| #1 Insulated Wire | Thick single-strand or heavy multi-strand bare copper inside. | $2.40 to $3.90/lb |
| Armored Cable (BX) | Copper wire wrapped in a flexible steel or aluminum jacket. | $0.50 to $0.95/lb |
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a wire '#3 Low Grade'?
It comes down to the recovery rate. #3 Insulated Wire typically yields less than 35% actual copper by weight once the plastic insulation is melted or chopped away. Because the yards Ohio get so little copper out of the thick plastic jackets, it fetches the lowest price of all the insulated copper grades.
Is it ever worth stripping #3 Insulated Wire?
Absolutely not. The copper strands inside telecom and computer cables are often hair-thin. Stripping them by hand is nearly impossible, and putting them through a mechanical wire stripper will just gum up the blades. Your best bet is to sell it as-is for the national average of $0.84 per pound.
Why is the price spread so large compared to the spot market?
Because processing low-grade wire is expensive. Buyers have to use massive industrial choppers and granulators to separate the tiny copper hairs from a mountain of plastic. They price this material 83% below the COMEX spot price to cover those heavy machinery and labor costs.
#3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) scrap prices in Ohio on the map
The map shows cities in Ohio with #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) prices in that location.