ScrapScrap Coax & Heliax Cable Prices in Illinois
Current national average payouts for Coax & Heliax Cable are tracking around $2.13 per pound. Find the most competitive local scrap yard rates in Illinois and make sure you aren't leaving money on the scale.
Average Coax & Heliax Cable Price
- Low (around $2.08): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($2.08): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($2.08+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates in this area.
Best Scrap Yards Buying Coax & Heliax Cable Illinois
Don't just dump your telecom wire at the first scale you drive past. Compare current prices from top-rated buyers in Illinois, use our national benchmark of $2.13 as your baseline, and always call ahead to confirm their daily rate for Coax & Heliax Cable.
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶| Metal grade | Average price (per lb) |
|---|---|
| Coax & Heliax Cable | $2.08 / lb |
| #1 Insulated Wire | $3.95 / lb |
| MCM & Industrial Cable | $3.88 / lb |
| THHN Wire | $3.17 / lb |
| Romex® Wire | $3.09 / lb |
| #2 Insulated Wire | $1.74 / lb |
| Telecom & Data Wire | $1.72 / lb |
| Wire Harnesses | $1.69 / lb |
| Jelly Wire | $1.03 / lb |
| #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) | $0.86 / lb |
| Computer Wire | $0.69 / lb |
| Armored Cable (BX) | $0.62 / lb |
| Christmas Lights | $0.38 / lb |
Coax & Heliax Cable Price History & Market 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.
Coax & Heliax Cable: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)
Avg scrap yard price
Today's world market price (COMEX)
Coax & Heliax Cable: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 (current) | $5.6213 / lb | $2.08 / lb | −$3.54 (63%) |
| March 2026 | $5.6775 / lb | $2.90 / lb | −$2.78 (48.9%) |
| February 2026 | $5.8801 / lb | $3.53 / lb | −$2.35 (40%) |
| January 2026 | $5.8949 / lb | $3.54 / lb | −$2.35 (39.9%) |
| December 2025 | $5.4977 / lb | $3.30 / lb | −$2.20 (40%) |
| November 2025 | $5.0640 / lb | $3.04 / lb | −$2.02 (40%) |
| October 2025 | $5.0502 / lb | $3.03 / lb | −$2.02 (40%) |
| September 2025 | $4.6624 / lb | $2.80 / lb | −$1.86 (39.9%) |
| August 2025 | $4.4780 / lb | $2.69 / lb | −$1.79 (39.9%) |
| July 2025 | $5.4826 / lb | $3.29 / lb | −$2.19 (40%) |
| June 2025 | $4.8832 / lb | $2.93 / lb | −$1.95 (40%) |
| May 2025 | $4.6862 / lb | $2.81 / lb | −$1.88 (40%) |
| April 2025 | $4.6543 / lb | $2.79 / lb | −$1.86 (40.1%) |
| March 2025 | $4.9195 / lb | $2.95 / lb | −$1.97 (40%) |
| February 2025 | $4.5581 / lb | $2.74 / lb | −$1.82 (39.9%) |
| January 2025 | $4.2698 / lb | $2.56 / lb | −$1.71 (40%) |
| December 2024 | $4.1579 / lb | $2.50 / lb | −$1.66 (39.9%) |
| November 2024 | $4.1994 / lb | $2.52 / lb | −$1.68 (40%) |
| October 2024 | $4.4318 / lb | $2.66 / lb | −$1.77 (40%) |
| September 2024 | $4.2927 / lb | $2.58 / lb | −$1.71 (39.9%) |
| August 2024 | $4.1218 / lb | $2.47 / lb | −$1.65 (40.1%) |
| July 2024 | $4.3752 / lb | $2.63 / lb | −$1.75 (39.9%) |
| June 2024 | $4.4911 / lb | $2.70 / lb | −$1.79 (39.9%) |
| May 2024 | $4.7547 / lb | $2.85 / lb | −$1.90 (40.1%) |
| April 2024 | $4.3637 / lb | $2.62 / lb | −$1.74 (40%) |
| March 2024 | $3.9836 / lb | $2.39 / lb | −$1.59 (40%) |
| February 2024 | $3.8018 / lb | $2.28 / lb | −$1.52 (40%) |
| January 2024 | $3.8113 / lb | $2.29 / lb | −$1.52 (39.9%) |
| December 2023 | $3.8712 / lb | $2.32 / lb | −$1.55 (40.1%) |
| November 2023 | $3.7208 / lb | $2.23 / lb | −$1.49 (40.1%) |
| October 2023 | $3.6093 / lb | $2.17 / lb | −$1.44 (39.9%) |
| September 2023 | $3.7598 / lb | $2.26 / lb | −$1.50 (39.9%) |
| August 2023 | $3.7761 / lb | $2.27 / lb | −$1.51 (39.9%) |
| July 2023 | $3.8455 / lb | $2.31 / lb | −$1.54 (39.9%) |
| June 2023 | $3.8050 / lb | $2.28 / lb | −$1.53 (40.1%) |
| May 2023 | $3.7515 / lb | $2.25 / lb | −$1.50 (40%) |
| April 2023 | $4.0074 / lb | $2.11 / lb | −$1.90 (47.3%) |
| March 2023 | $4.0282 / lb | $2.42 / lb | −$1.61 (39.9%) |
| February 2023 | $4.0648 / lb | $2.44 / lb | −$1.62 (40%) |
| January 2023 | $4.1151 / lb | $2.47 / lb | −$1.65 (40%) |
| December 2022 | $3.8207 / lb | $2.29 / lb | −$1.53 (40.1%) |
| November 2022 | $3.6740 / lb | $2.20 / lb | −$1.47 (40.1%) |
| October 2022 | $3.4304 / lb | $2.06 / lb | −$1.37 (39.9%) |
| September 2022 | $3.4553 / lb | $2.07 / lb | −$1.39 (40.1%) |
| August 2022 | $3.6165 / lb | $2.17 / lb | −$1.45 (40%) |
| July 2022 | $3.4195 / lb | $2.05 / lb | −$1.37 (40%) |
| June 2022 | $4.1187 / lb | $2.47 / lb | −$1.65 (40%) |
| May 2022 | $4.2573 / lb | $2.55 / lb | −$1.71 (40.1%) |
| April 2022 | $4.6495 / lb | $2.79 / lb | −$1.86 (40%) |
| March 2022 | $4.7077 / lb | $2.83 / lb | −$1.88 (39.9%) |
| February 2022 | $4.5023 / lb | $2.70 / lb | −$1.80 (40%) |
| January 2022 | $4.4320 / lb | $2.62 / lb | −$1.81 (40.9%) |
Coax & Heliax Cable 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2.08 / lb | +$0.14 | $2.08 – $2.08 | |
| 3/23/2026 | $1.94 / lb | +$0.10 | $1.94 – $1.94 |
| 3/22/2026 | $1.84 / lb | +$0.56 | $1.84 – $1.84 |
| 4/27/2023 | $1.28 / lb | −$0.28 | $1.28 – $1.28 |
Cashing in on Telecom: The Coax & Heliax Cable Blueprint
If you're pulling wire from cell towers, radio setups, or heavy telecom jobs, you're sitting on solid weight. Coax and Heliax aren't your standard house wire, and they shouldn't be priced like it. Payouts right now are swinging between $2.08 and $2.25 per pound nationally. But the guys who make real money on this material know exactly how yards grade it. If you bring a tangled, unsorted pile to the scale, you're going to get burned.
The Anatomy of Heliax vs. Standard Coax
Heliax is the true gold mine in this category. It typically features a corrugated solid copper outer shield and a hefty copper center conductor, yielding a massive copper recovery rate. Standard coax, the stuff you pull from residential cable TV lines, has significantly less copper. Yards price this cable based on its recovery percentage and the broader commodity market tied to the COMEX. Generally, heavy telecom-grade cable sits about 63.7% below bare copper spot prices to account for the chopping and separation process.
Yard Pro Tip: Always put a magnet to the center conductor of your coax cable. A massive amount of standard RG-6 coax uses Copper-Clad Steel (CCS). If that magnet sticks to the center wire, the yard will immediately downgrade it to low-grade communication wire or shred, tanking your payout. Only true copper-center coax and thick Heliax will command the premium rate.
Prep It Right or Lose Your Shirt
Scrap yards in Illinois hate sorting your mess, and they will penalize you for making them do it. If you throw standard, thin TV coax in with your premium, thick Heliax, the scale master will downgrade the entire bin to the lowest common denominator. Worse, mixing this telecom wire with cheap residential cords like Christmas Lights can cost you $1.75 per pound in an instant. Keep your high-yield cable strictly separate.
| Cable Condition | Payout Expectation |
|---|---|
| Thick Heliax (Solid Cu Shield & Center) | Pushes the $2.25 ceiling |
| Standard Coax (Cu center, Cu braid) | Hovers near the $2.13 mark |
| Mixed Load / Steel Center Coax | Drops to $2.08 or lower |
Alternatives on the Scale
Depending on the commercial site you are tearing down, you might be hauling other types of insulated wire. Here is what buyers typically offer for related materials:
- #1 Insulated Wire:$3.05 to $3.95/lb
- #2 Insulated Wire:$1.62 to $1.83/lb
- #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade):$0.60 to $1.20/lb
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I strip my Heliax cable before selling?
Usually, no. Stripping corrugated copper shields and the extremely thick, rigid dielectric insulation inside Heliax is incredibly tough on standard wire stripping machines. You'll spend hours fighting the cable for a marginal bump in profit. Most veteran scrappers sell it as-is for the $2.13 average rate, letting the yard's heavy-duty industrial choppers do the hard work.
Why did my coax load get priced so low?
If your coax has an aluminum foil shield or a steel center wire, the actual copper recovery is incredibly minimal. Yards will classify it as low-grade communication wire or shred, which pushes your payout straight down to the $2.08 mark. Always test your loads with a magnet before heading to the yard.
How do commodity markets affect coax prices?
Coax and Heliax payouts are directly tethered to the COMEX copper spot price. Buyers factor in the processing, chopping, and plastic disposal costs, and typically pay around 63.7% below that spot rate for the raw, unstripped cable.
Coax & Heliax Cable scrap prices in Illinois on the map
The map shows cities in Illinois with Coax & Heliax Cable scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Coax & Heliax Cable prices in that location.