Scrap Telecom & Data Wire Prices in New Jersey
Track the latest Telecom & Data Wire scrap prices across New Jersey and locate the highest-paying buyers. National data indicates yards are paying an average of $1.76 per pound, though clean, unshielded loads can fetch up to $2.00.
Average Telecom & Data Wire Price
- Low (up to $1.80): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($1.80): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($1.80+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates today.
Where to Sell Telecom & Data Wire in New Jersey
Check our directory of scrap yards in in New Jersey that buy communication cable. Don't just settle for the first price you hear; compare local rates against the national average, and call ahead to confirm their current payouts for Cat5, Cat6, and other IT network wire.
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶How Telecom Wire Stacks Up Against Other Insulated 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.
Telecom & Data Wire 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.
Telecom & Data Wire: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (COMEX)
Telecom & Data Wire: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $5.764324 | $2.61 | -$3.16 (54.8%) |
| February 2026 | $5.880136 | $2.73 | -$3.15 (53.6%) |
| January 2026 | $5.894887 | $3.54 | -$2.36 (40%) |
| December 2025 | $5.497742 | $3.02 | -$2.47 (45%) |
| November 2025 | $5.064033 | $1.81 | -$3.26 (64.3%) |
| October 2025 | $5.050242 | $1.50 | -$3.55 (70.2%) |
| September 2025 | $4.662367 | $2.11 | -$2.55 (54.7%) |
| August 2025 | $4.477984 | $2.20 | -$2.28 (50.9%) |
| July 2025 | $5.482645 | $3.23 | -$2.25 (41%) |
| June 2025 | $4.883233 | $2.55 | -$2.34 (47.8%) |
| May 2025 | $4.686194 | $2.81 | -$1.87 (40%) |
| April 2025 | $4.654267 | $2.39 | -$2.27 (48.7%) |
| March 2025 | $4.919484 | $2.95 | -$1.97 (40%) |
| February 2025 | $4.558107 | $2.74 | -$1.82 (40%) |
| January 2025 | $4.269774 | $1.93 | -$2.34 (54.8%) |
| 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 | $1.91 | -$2.38 (55.4%) |
| August 2024 | $4.121839 | $2.47 | -$1.65 (40%) |
| July 2024 | $4.375242 | $2.63 | -$1.75 (40%) |
| June 2024 | $4.491083 | $2.35 | -$2.15 (47.8%) |
| 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 | $2.06 | -$1.81 (46.7%) |
| November 2023 | $3.720817 | $1.99 | -$1.73 (46.4%) |
| October 2023 | $3.609306 | $2.17 | -$1.44 (40%) |
| September 2023 | $3.759833 | $2.01 | -$1.75 (46.6%) |
| 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 | $2.29 | -$1.53 (40%) |
| November 2022 | $3.674017 | $1.91 | -$1.76 (48%) |
| October 2022 | $3.430419 | $2.06 | -$1.37 (40%) |
| September 2022 | $3.455283 | $2.07 | -$1.38 (40%) |
| August 2022 | $3.616468 | $1.93 | -$1.69 (46.7%) |
| July 2022 | $3.4195 | $2.05 | -$1.37 (40%) |
| June 2022 | $4.118667 | $2.47 | -$1.65 (40%) |
| May 2022 | $4.257274 | $1.98 | -$2.28 (53.6%) |
| 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 | $4.338768 | $2.56 | -$1.78 (40.9%) |
Telecom & Data 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4/2026 | $1.80 / lb | +$0.20 | $1.80 - $1.80 |
| 2/17/2026 | $1.60 / lb | +$0.10 | $1.60 - $1.60 |
| 12/5/2025 | $1.50 / lb | +$0.05 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 11/23/2025 | $1.45 / lb | +$0.15 | $1.45 - $1.45 |
| 11/20/2025 | $1.30 / lb | -$0.20 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 11/11/2025 | $1.50 / lb | — no change | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 11/1/2025 | $1.50 / lb | -$0.01 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 10/24/2025 | $1.51 / lb | +$0.01 | $1.51 - $1.51 |
| 10/16/2025 | $1.50 / lb | +$0.05 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 10/11/2025 | $1.45 / lb | -$0.07 | $1.45 - $1.45 |
| 10/8/2025 | $1.52 / lb | +$0.07 | $1.52 - $1.52 |
| 9/27/2025 | $1.45 / lb | +$0.04 | $1.45 - $1.45 |
| 9/7/2025 | $1.41 / lb | +$0.05 | $1.41 - $1.41 |
| 9/5/2025 | $1.36 / lb | +$0.06 | $1.36 - $1.36 |
| 8/24/2025 | $1.30 / lb | -$0.07 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 7/1/2025 | $1.37 / lb | +$0.07 | $1.37 - $1.37 |
| 4/21/2025 | $1.30 / lb | -$0.09 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 1/19/2025 | $1.39 / lb | +$0.12 | $1.39 - $1.39 |
| 1/9/2025 | $1.27 / lb | -$0.03 | $1.27 - $1.27 |
| 9/26/2024 | $1.30 / lb | +$0.04 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 9/19/2024 | $1.26 / lb | -$0.13 | $1.26 - $1.26 |
| 6/18/2024 | $1.39 / lb | +$0.09 | $1.39 - $1.39 |
| 12/16/2023 | $1.30 / lb | — no change | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 11/17/2023 | $1.30 / lb | +$0.02 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 9/30/2023 | $1.28 / lb | +$0.21 | $1.28 - $1.28 |
| 11/27/2022 | $1.07 / lb | -$0.16 | $1.07 - $1.07 |
| 8/12/2022 | $1.23 / lb | -$0.24 | $1.23 - $1.23 |
| 5/23/2022 | $1.47 / lb | +$0.11 | $1.47 - $1.47 |
| 5/14/2022 | $1.36 / lb | -$0.04 | $1.36 - $1.36 |
Pulling Profit from the Walls: Scrapping Telecom & Data Wire
If you are pulling miles of Cat5, Cat6, or old telephone lines out of an office demo, you are sitting on a solid payday. Telecom and Data Wire is prized for its consistent, tightly twisted copper core. Because the insulation-to-copper ratio is usually better than generic household wire, yards are currently paying anywhere from $1.60 to $2.00 per pound based on the exact shielding and jacket thickness.
Sorting at the Scale: Don't Get Robbed on Recovery Rates
Sorting is everything in the scrap game. Telecom wire usually has a high copper recovery rate—often around 50% to 60%. If you get lazy and throw your premium Cat6 into a bin of generic #2 Insulated Wire, you are practically handing the yard your hard-earned cash. That simple sorting mistake costs you roughly $0.08 per pound right at the scale. Always keep your data lines separate from standard wall outlets or appliance cords.
Yard Pro Tip: Watch out for shielded twisted pair (STP) data cables and coax lines mixed in with your standard Cat5/Cat6 network wire. That aluminum foil shielding or steel core in coax will tank your recovery rate at the yard. Check the ends for a shiny foil layer or heavy plastic dividers, and keep the pure copper Ethernet separated from the shielded stuff to demand the highest telecom rate.
Knowing Your Wire Grades
For context, it is crucial to understand where data wire fits in the grand scheme of copper recovery. Thick, single-strand #1 Insulated Wire commands $2.40 to $3.90/lb due to its massive copper yield. Your standard #2 Insulated Wire sits around $1.50 to $2.15/lb, while junk cables like #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade) barely pull $0.60 to $1.20/lb. Telecom wire hits that sweet spot of high volume and decent copper yield, especially when doing commercial IT demo in in New Jersey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth stripping telecom and data wire?
Generally, no. The individual copper strands inside Cat5 or Cat6 are hair-thin (typically 23 or 24 AWG). Running this through a standard wire stripper is a nightmare, practically impossible, and a massive waste of time. You are better off selling it as-is for the current $1.76 average rate.
How do yards determine the price for data wire?
It all comes down to the copper recovery percentage. Buyers look at the COMEX copper spot price and calculate how much clean copper they can extract after chopping and separating the plastic jackets. They typically pay about 66% below the spot price to cover their processing and shipping costs.
Does leaving the RJ45 connectors on lower the price?
Yes, depending on the yard's strictness. Those plastic and brass plugs add dead weight and lower the overall copper percentage of the bin. If you have hundreds of pounds of wire, taking a pair of loppers and snipping the ends off can bump you from the $1.60 floor closer to premium pricing.
Telecom & Data Wire scrap prices in New Jersey on the map
The map shows cities in New Jersey with Telecom & Data Wire scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Telecom & Data Wire prices in that location.