Current Prices for Scrap Wire Harnesses in Ohio
Wire Harnesses are currently pulling a national average of $1.69 per pound. Check the local yard prices in Ohio below to see what buyers are paying before you haul your automotive wire to the scale.
Average Wire Harnesses Price
- Low (up to $0.60): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($1.15): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($1.70+): 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 Wire Harnesses Ohio
Don't let your automotive wiring get downgraded to the lowest tier. Compare the payouts from these local buyers in Ohio, ensure you've clipped off the heavy fuse boxes, and always call ahead to lock in their current rates.
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶Wire Harnesses vs. Other Insulated Copper
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.
Wire Harnesses Historical 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.
Wire Harnesses: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (COMEX)
Wire Harnesses: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $5.764324 | $2.73 | -$3.04 (52.7%) |
| February 2026 | $5.880136 | $2.69 | -$3.19 (54.3%) |
| January 2026 | $5.894887 | $3.54 | -$2.36 (40%) |
| December 2025 | $5.497742 | $3.30 | -$2.20 (40%) |
| November 2025 | $5.064033 | $2.90 | -$2.16 (42.7%) |
| October 2025 | $5.050242 | $2.81 | -$2.24 (44.4%) |
| September 2025 | $4.662367 | $2.80 | -$1.87 (40%) |
| August 2025 | $4.477984 | $2.10 | -$2.38 (53.2%) |
| 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 | $1.74 | -$2.01 (53.6%) |
| 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 | $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 | $4.2943 | $2.13 | -$2.16 (50.4%) |
Wire Harnesses 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/11/2026 | $0.60 / lb | -$1.10 | $0.60 - $0.60 |
| 11/3/2025 | $1.70 / lb | +$1.30 | $1.70 - $1.70 |
| 8/27/2025 | $0.40 / lb | +$0.10 | $0.40 - $0.40 |
| 5/15/2023 | $0.30 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.30 - $0.30 |
Cash In on the Auto Shop Floor: Scrapping Wire Harnesses
If you're pulling engines, crushing cars, or running an auto repair shop in Ohio, those massive bundles of wiring under the hood and behind the dash are a major source of scrap value. Wire harnesses are graded differently than standard residential electrical wire because they contain a lower copper recovery percentage due to the thick plastic connectors, tape, corrugated tubing, and occasional fuse boxes attached. Our data shows that yards are currently paying anywhere from $1.55 for heavily contaminated bundles up to $1.80 for well-prepped harnesses, with a national average hovering around $1.69.
Yard Pro Tip: To get the highest tier pricing for wire harnesses, you must remove the heavy "brain boxes" (ECUs/PCMs) and the large, blocky plastic fuse relays. A few small plastic connectors at the end of the wires are expected, but leaving a heavy 3-pound plastic fuse box attached drops your recovery percentage significantly, and the scale master will knock your price down to the $1.55 range or even reclassify it as low-grade communication wire.
The Teardown: Stop Losing Money on Copper Recovery
Scrapping wire is a numbers game based entirely on how much copper the refinery can extract after burning or chopping the plastic away. The biggest mistake scrappers make is mixing clean, high-recovery wire with bulky automotive harnesses. If you throw standard #2 Insulated Wire (like extension cords or Romex with the outer jacket removed) into a gaylord box full of bulky Wire Harnesses, the buyer will pay you the cheaper harness rate for the whole box. That lazy mistake can cost you roughly $0.21 per pound in lost profit.
| Condition | What It Includes | Payout Expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Prepped Harness | Wires only, small connectors okay. No fuse boxes or thick corrugated looming. | Near $1.80 |
| Standard Harness | Some looming, small relays, tape intact. | Around $1.69 |
| Dirty / Mixed | Heavy fuse boxes, ECUs attached, heavily caked in grease. | Downgraded to $1.55 |
Keep your automotive wire strictly separated from your residential scrap. If you have thicker, single-strand electrical wire, sort it as #1 Insulated Wire. If you have thin, multi-strand wire with a high plastic-to-copper ratio (like computer cables), that falls into #3 Insulated Wire (Low Grade), which currently trades much lower, typically around $0.60 to $1.20/lb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do wire harnesses pay less than #2 insulated wire?
It comes down to copper recovery. A standard automotive wire harness has a lot of "dead weight" from thick plastic connectors, electrical tape, and corrugated tubing. Refineries expect a much lower percentage of actual copper yield from a harness compared to standard residential or commercial wiring.
Should I strip the wire in an automotive harness?
Generally, no. Automotive wire is usually very thin, stranded copper. Attempting to strip it manually is incredibly time-consuming and rarely worth the labor. It is much more profitable to just snip off the heavy plastic ends, sell it at the $1.69 rate, and let the yard's industrial wire chopper handle the rest.
How do local yards price my wire?
Scrap yards base their insulated wire prices on the COMEX spot price for pure copper, minus their processing costs and the assumed recovery rate of the specific wire grade. Typically, buyers offer about 78.3% below the spot price for standard copper grades, adjusting further down for the heavy plastic weight on automotive harnesses.
Wire Harnesses scrap prices in Ohio on the map
The map shows cities in Ohio with Wire Harnesses scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Wire Harnesses prices in that location.