To estimate what a copper weight is worth, use a dated price with its quoted unit and keep the weight unit explicit. The calculator converts grams, kilograms, ordinary ounces or pounds to one basis before applying copper content and payout. It does not fetch a live price or assign a scrap grade.
Estimate copper value
No price is supplied or fetched. Find a documented reference-price source, then preserve its currency, time zone and quote type.
This is a planning model, not a scrap-yard quote or assay. Copper grade names do not guarantee a fixed copper percentage. Do not use this simple model for hazardous equipment, sealed components or material requiring specialist sampling.
Match the quote unit to your input
For a quote of 9,000 per metric tonne, choose Metric tonne as the price unit. A 100 kg lot at 100% copper and 100% payout has a reference value of 900 in the same currency. These are hypothetical inputs. A metric tonne is 1,000 kg; a US short ton is 2,000 ordinary pounds; an imperial long ton is 2,240 ordinary pounds. Ask the source which ton it means.
LME copper is quoted in US dollars per tonne. A local scrap-grade bid is a different price basis; do not apply copper content twice if the buyer already quoted the whole accepted grade.
Copper value formula
The calculator first converts the entered weight to grams. Because the reference price is per avoirdupois pound, it divides that price by 453.59237 to obtain a price per gram.
Copper grams = gross grams × (copper percentage ÷ 100) Benchmark value = copper grams × (entered price ÷ grams in selected price unit) Modeled offer = benchmark value × (payout percentage ÷ 100)The first percentage estimates material composition. The payout percentage is a separate transaction assumption. Keeping them separate makes it easier to see whether a difference comes from non-copper weight or from commercial deductions.
How to use the calculator
- Find a dated copper reference price stated per avoirdupois pound and record its currency.
- Record its source, timestamp, quote type and product or contract.
- Weigh the material and choose the matching unit.
- Enter a defensible copper percentage. Use a specification, recovery report or assay when available.
- Enter 100% only to see a theoretical benchmark value, then model a lower percentage separately if useful.
- Compare the result with written buyer quotes that show grade, accepted weight, rate and deductions.
Hypothetical example
Assume 10 lb of material is estimated to contain 95% copper, the entered reference is $4.00 per lb, and the modeled payout is 85%. These figures are illustrative, not current market data.
- estimated copper: 10 lb × 95% = 9.5 lb;
- benchmark value: 9.5 lb × $4.00 = $38.00;
- modeled offer: $38.00 × 85% = $32.30.
An actual buyer may grade, weigh and price the lot differently. Insulated wire in particular should not be assigned a recovery percentage without knowing its construction or processing yield.
What if I have 100 grams or one pound?
At the same hypothetical $4.00-per-pound reference, 100 grams of verified pure copper has a theoretical metal value of about $0.88; one ordinary pound has a theoretical value of $4.00. These examples use 100% content and 100% modeled payout. Enter the actual weight, a defensible copper percentage and your own dated reference price above for a different item. Neither figure is a current copper price or a buyer offer.
Copper percentage is not the same as scrap grade
Scrap grades are purchasing specifications. They may consider dimensions, coatings, solder, attachments and contamination as well as copper content. Two objects with similar copper fractions can have different processing costs and therefore different buying prices. Conversely, a buyer may offer a direct per-pound grade price without separately stating a copper percentage.
If a buyer quotes a direct price per gross pound for your exact accepted grade, the simplest comparison is often gross accepted weight multiplied by that grade price. Do not apply the calculator's copper percentage a second time to a quote that already incorporates recovery.
What if you do not know the copper percentage?
Do not enter 100% merely because the object looks copper-colored. The calculator cannot identify its composition. Use evidence for the material being weighed, or compare a buyer's direct grade quote instead.
| Evidence available | Useful next step | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Assay or composition documentation for this material | Use the applicable copper fraction and record its source | Applying a result from an unrelated sample |
| Scrap grade only | Ask whether the buyer quotes per accepted gross weight or contained copper | Treating a grade name as an exact assay |
| Insulated cable with a documented recovery assessment | Confirm whether it represents this cable type and includes connectors | Guessing recovery from appearance |
| Mixed items, fittings or uncertain alloy | Separate and document the lot; request buyer inspection | Hiding unknown composition inside the payout percentage |
The copper fraction estimates the metal present. The payout percentage models how much of its reference value might be paid. Those are different assumptions. A direct scrap rate may already allow for recovery and processing; applying those reductions again would double-count them. See copper grade descriptions before choosing the calculation method.
How to improve an estimate
- Separate grades before weighing and do not mix clean copper with lower-recovery material.
- Remove attachments only when lawful, safe, allowed by the buyer and worth the time.
- Use a calibrated scale suitable for the lot size.
- Get at least two itemized quotes using the same net weight and grade.
- Ask how moisture, insulation, plugs or foreign metals are deducted.
- Keep a note of the benchmark timestamp because copper prices change.
Calculator questions
Can this calculate insulated copper wire value?
It can model a documented recovery percentage, but it cannot identify the copper fraction from a cable name or photo. Construction, conductor size, insulation and connectors all affect yield.
Should I use pounds or kilograms?
Use the unit in which you actually weighed the material. The calculator converts it internally. Select the matching price unit separately. A quote per kilogram can value a weight entered in pounds without a manual conversion.
Why is the calculator's value higher than a buyer's offer?
The benchmark model may not include grade discounts, contamination, recovery losses, freight, processing, price risk and margin. It may also use a quote for standardized refined copper that is not directly deliverable by a retail seller.
Does the tool store my values?
No. The standard calculation is performed in your browser and is not submitted to a pricing service.