Copper Calculator

Copper melt value is calculated by converting the weight of your copper item to pounds, multiplying by its purity percentage, and then multiplying by the current copper price per pound. Unlike gold and silver, which are priced per troy ounce, copper is priced per pound in the US market.

Worked example: Suppose you have a jar of 1,000 pre-1982 Lincoln pennies. Each penny contains 2.95 grams of pure copper. That's 1,000 × 2.95g = 2,950 grams of pure copper. Convert to pounds: 2,950 ÷ 453.592 = 6.505 pounds. If copper is trading at $6.41 per pound, the melt value is 6.505 × $6.41 = $41.70. That's the intrinsic metal value of those 1,000 pennies — compared to their $10.00 face value.

Copper Price Today: Live Spot Price

Copper is priced per pound in the United States and per metric ton on international exchanges. The COMEX copper price is the benchmark for US transactions. At today's spot price, copper is $6.41 per pound, or $0.0141 per gram. Copper prices update every 60 seconds on this page during market hours.

Copper Price Per Pound

Pure copper is worth $6.41 per pound at today's COMEX spot price. Scrap copper prices vary based on grade and purity. Bare Bright copper (99.9% pure, clean wire) trades closest to spot, typically 85–90% of the spot price at a scrap yard. #1 copper pipe and tubing trades at 80–85% of spot. #2 copper with paint, solder, or oxidation trades at 70–80% of spot.

Copper Price Per Gram

Pure copper is worth $0.0141 per gram at today's spot price. Per-gram pricing is less common in US copper transactions (which use pounds) but matters for small amounts like coin content. A single pre-1982 Lincoln penny contains 2.95 grams of copper, worth approximately $0.0417 at the current spot price.

Copper Price Per Kilogram

Pure copper is worth $14.13 per kilogram at today's spot price. International copper transactions and larger industrial purchases typically use kilograms or metric tons. The London Metal Exchange (LME) quotes copper in USD per metric ton.

Scrap Copper Prices by Grade

Scrap yards classify copper into standardized grades based on cleanliness, alloy content, and form. Each grade commands a different percentage of the copper spot price. Understanding the grades helps you sort scrap before selling and predict the price you'll be offered. The copper calculator above uses these same grade names so you can input what you have and get an accurate melt value.

Bare Bright Copper Price

Bare Bright is the highest grade of scrap copper: clean, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire or bus bar with no solder, paint, corrosion, or insulation. It's typically 99.9% pure copper, the same purity as raw refined copper. At today's spot price of $6.41 per pound, Bare Bright copper typically sells at scrap yards for $5.61 to $5.77 per pound (85–90% of spot). Sources include stripped THHN building wire, motor windings, and uncoated copper bus bar.

#1 Copper Price

#1 Copper includes clean copper pipe, tube, and bus bar that may have light oxidation but no paint, solder, or alloy contamination. It's clean copper that requires minimal processing. At today's spot price, #1 Copper typically sells for $5.13 to $5.45 per pound (80–85% of spot). Sources include clean plumbing pipe from renovations, copper tubing, and clean copper sheet.

#2 Copper Price

#2 Copper has paint, solder, oxidation, brazing, or other contamination that requires processing before refining. It's still mostly copper but commands a lower price due to extra handling. At today's spot price, #2 Copper typically sells for $4.49 to $5.13 per pound (70–80% of spot). Sources include painted pipe, copper roofing with solder, gutters, and downspouts.

Copper Grading Quick Reference

Sort copper by grade before selling for the best total payout. Mixed loads get paid at the lowest grade in the bunch. A clean separation between Bare Bright and #2 can mean 20–30% more total income for the same weight. Strip insulated wire if you have time (each pound of stripped wire vs insulated typically nets 20–40% more after factoring in stripping labor).

Copper Wire Scrap Price

Copper wire is the most common form of scrap copper. Wire pricing depends on whether the insulation has been stripped, the gauge of the wire, and the purity. Bare (stripped) copper wire trades at near-spot prices. Insulated wire trades at a significant discount because the buyer must factor in the cost of stripping.

Stripped Copper Wire

Stripped copper wire (no insulation, clean, bright) is the same as Bare Bright copper and commands the highest scrap prices. At today's spot price of $6.41 per pound, stripped copper wire typically sells for 85–90% of spot, or about $5.61 per pound. THHN building wire, motor windings, and transformer wire all qualify as Bare Bright once stripped.

Insulated Copper Wire

Insulated copper wire is graded by the percentage of recoverable copper inside the insulation. #1 Insulated Wire (Romex, THHN, heavier gauges) typically yields 70–80% copper by weight after stripping. #2 Insulated Wire (lamp cord, smaller gauges, multi-strand) yields 50–65% copper. Insulated wire prices vary widely by grade and gauge, generally ranging from 50–75% of bare wire prices depending on copper recovery.

Should You Strip Copper Wire Before Selling?

Stripping copper wire is worth it for heavier gauges and larger quantities where the labor pays off. Stripped 12-gauge or larger wire fetches 25–40% more than insulated. Smaller-gauge wire (16-gauge and below) is often not worth stripping by hand due to time investment. Mechanical wire strippers ($150–$500) make small-gauge stripping economically viable for serious scrappers.

Pre-1982 vs Post-1982 Pennies

The composition of the US Lincoln penny changed in 1982. Pennies minted before 1982 are made of an alloy that is 95% copper and 5% zinc, with a total weight of 3.11 grams. Starting in late 1982, the Mint switched to a much cheaper zinc core with a thin copper plating — these "zincolns" are 97.5% zinc and only 2.5% copper, weighing just 2.5 grams.

The year 1982 is the tricky cutoff: both copper and zinc pennies were produced that year. The only reliable way to distinguish them is by weight. Copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams; zinc pennies weigh 2.5 grams. A kitchen scale accurate to 0.1g is sufficient. You can also try the "drop test" — copper pennies produce a clear ringing sound when dropped on a hard surface, while zinc pennies make a dull thud.

Is It Legal to Melt Pennies?

Melting US pennies and nickels is prohibited under 31 CFR Part 82, a US Treasury regulation enacted in 2006 to prevent the destruction of low-denomination coins for their metal value. The regulation became permanent in 2007. Violations carry fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to five years per offense.

What 31 CFR Part 82 Actually Says

The regulation prohibits the export, melting, or treatment of US one-cent and five-cent coins. It applies to bulk quantities; small amounts of pennies and nickels can be carried out of the country for personal use (up to $5 worth of coins, or $100 for legitimate coinage uses like vending machines). The regulation does not prohibit owning, collecting, sorting, or selling pre-1982 copper pennies for their intrinsic metal value to collectors or investors.

Can You Sell Copper Pennies?

Yes. Selling pre-1982 copper pennies to coin collectors, dealers, or other investors is legal. What's prohibited is melting them down to recover the copper. Many investors buy pre-1982 pennies in bulk as a hedge against currency inflation, since each penny contains roughly $0.0417 worth of copper at today's spot price, well above the one-cent face value.

Why Pre-1982 Pennies Are Worth More Than Face Value

A pre-1982 Lincoln penny is 95% copper and 5% zinc, weighing 3.11 grams (2.95g of pure copper). At today's copper spot price of $6.41 per pound, each pre-1982 penny has a melt value of approximately $0.04. That's significantly more than the one-cent face value. A bag of $50 face value in pre-1982 pennies (5,000 coins) weighs about 34 pounds and contains roughly 32 pounds of pure copper.

What About Canadian Pennies?

The US regulation doesn't apply to Canadian pennies, but Canada's own laws restrict the destruction of Canadian coinage under the Currency Act. Canadian pennies were discontinued in 2013 and pre-1997 Canadian pennies are 98% copper, similar to pre-1982 US pennies. Melting Canadian pennies in Canada is restricted; importing them to the US for melting is a gray area not specifically addressed by 31 CFR Part 82.

Common Sources of Scrap Copper

Beyond coins, copper scrap comes from many sources. Copper wire is the most common — electricians, contractors, and demolition crews generate large volumes of scrap wire. Stripped wire (bare, bright copper with no insulation) commands the highest prices, while insulated wire is worth less because the buyer must factor in the cost of stripping. Copper pipe and plumbing fittings from home renovations are another major source, typically grading as #1 copper if clean.

Scrap yards use a standardized grading system. #1 Bare Bright is the premium grade: clean, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire or bus bar with no solder, paint, or corrosion. #1 Copper includes clean pipe, tube, and bus bar that may have light oxidation. #2 Copper has paint, solder, light corrosion, or mixed alloys. Each grade commands a different percentage of the spot price, with Bare Bright getting the best payout.

What Dealers Pay for Scrap Copper

Scrap yards typically pay 75–90% of melt value depending on the grade and quantity. #1 Bare Bright copper gets the best price, often 85–90% of spot. #1 Copper pipe fetches 80–85%, while #2 Copper with impurities may only bring 70–80%. Small quantities (under 10 pounds) generally receive lower percentages because the transaction costs are proportionally higher. Always weigh your copper before visiting a scrap yard and compare their offer to the melt value shown on this calculator.

For gold and silver scrap calculations, see our scrap gold calculator and scrap silver calculator. For coin-specific values, visit US gold coin melt values or US silver coin melt values. For nickel scrap, see our nickel calculator. Or return to the melt value calculator homepage.