Wire buying
Bare Copper Wire Buyers in South Carolina
Bare copper is grounding conductor, bonding jumper and overhead contact wire. It has no insulation to judge, which makes it the simplest product to value and the easiest to undervalue when sold as generic scrap.
Wire and cable only. Statewide South Carolina pickup, no obligation to sell.
Where bare copper comes from
Substation work, ground grid installations, telecommunications grounding and lightning protection all consume bare copper. When a project finishes, the leftover reels and coils sit in a shop because they are heavy and awkward to move.
Because it is uninsulated, bare copper is often sold as scrap. A clean, identified reel of 4/0 bare stranded conductor is worth more than scrap when it can go back into a grounding installation, and we price it that way.
Stranded versus solid, soft versus hard
Soft-drawn stranded bare copper is the standard for grounding and is the most common surplus item. Solid bare copper appears in smaller grounding sizes and in ground rod applications. Hard-drawn copper is used overhead and is a different market.
Tell us the temper and stranding if the tag is available. If not, a photograph of the coil and the conductor end is usually enough to identify it.
Cleanliness and presentation
Bare copper oxidizes, which is normal and does not destroy value. What does hurt is contamination: copper mixed with aluminum, steel, solder or tinned conductor. Keep bare copper separate from other metals and from insulated scrap.
Coils should be tied and labeled with size if known. A labeled coil of 250 kcmil bare copper is a product; the same copper in a tangled pile is scrap.
What we buy in this category
- Bare stranded copper grounding conductor
- Solid bare copper ground wire in #6 through 2 AWG
- 4/0 and 250 MCM bare copper
- 500 kcmil bare copper ground grid conductor
- Soft-drawn and hard-drawn bare copper
- Grounding electrode conductor reels
- Lightning protection cable
- Overhead contact and messenger wire
- Tinned copper conductor
- Coils and spools from substation and utility work
- Clean, segregated bare copper lots
- Mixed grounding conductor inventories
Specifications and buying notes
The table below reflects the constructions we see most often in South Carolina surplus. Variations exist between manufacturers, and the print on the jacket always governs.
| Construction | Bare soft-drawn or hard-drawn copper, solid or stranded |
| Size range | #14 AWG through 500 kcmil and larger |
| Common forms | Ground wire reels, bonding jumpers, ground grid conductor |
| Temper | Soft annealed for grounding; hard-drawn for overhead and contact wire |
| Standards | ASTM B3 and B8, NEC Article 250 |
| Packaging | Coils, spools and 250 ft to 1,000 ft reels |
| Applications | Equipment grounding, ground grids, lightning protection, overhead lines |
What photographs help us price this fastest
A shot of the reel tag, a close-up of the jacket print, a clear view of the cut end, and one overview photograph of the whole inventory. Four images usually settle every question we have without a site visit.
Questions about selling bare copper
Do you buy bare copper by the pound or by the reel?
Both. Identified reels and coils with known size are priced as product; loose or mixed bare copper is priced on copper content.
Can I sell bare copper that has oxidized?
Yes. Surface oxidation is normal and does not reduce value much. Contamination with other metals is the real concern.
Do you buy tinned copper?
Yes, though tinned copper is valued differently from bright bare copper.
What sizes of bare copper are most valuable?
Large stranded grounding conductor, 4/0 through 500 kcmil, carries the highest per-foot value because it is used in substation and ground grid work.
Request a quote
Tell us what is on the reel
Send the basics and a few photographs. Reel tags, jacket markings and cut ends are usually enough for us to price the material without a site visit.
- Manufacturer or brand, if legible
- Wire type, gauge or size, and voltage rating
- Approximate footage and number of spools
- Photos of reel tags, jacket print and cable ends
Prefer to talk? (614) 715-3047
saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com
Surplus wire quote request
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