G.A. RITTENHOUSE
G.A. RITTENHOUSE
Copper is the metal we see most, because it is what comes out of the substations, motors and switchgear our recovery division clears. That volume is why we can usually price it the same day rather than going looking for a buyer.
Copper wound off distribution and power transformers. Often still in the tank when we find it — that is a removal question, not a reason to pass.
Switchgear and panel bus. Usually the cleanest copper on any site and the quickest for us to grade.
Insulated and bare, from fine gauge up to feeder. Insulated cable is priced on recoverable content, so gauge and jacket both matter.
Stators, rotors and armatures. We take them whole; you do not need to strip them first.
Process tube, refrigeration line and plumbing runs off a decommissioning.
Machining swarf. Keep it dry and keep it off the floor — contamination is what costs you here.
Grading is not our invention and it is not a negotiating tactic — it is how this material is priced everywhere. Knowing which grade you are holding is the difference between being paid for it and being paid for the cheapest thing in the container.
| Grade | What it is |
|---|---|
| Bare bright | Uncoated, unalloyed wire, clean and free of insulation. The top of the copper market and worth separating out on its own. |
| #1 copper | Clean, unalloyed, uncoated solids — bus bar, clippings, heavy tube. No paint, solder or brazing. |
| #2 copper | Copper carrying some solder, paint or oxidation. Still copper, priced for what has to come off. |
| Insulated wire | Graded on recoverable copper content. A heavy jacket on a fine conductor recovers far less than the weight suggests. |
| Light copper | Thin sheet, gutter, and copper that has seen fire or heavy corrosion. |
Copper runs on induction, where the chemistry can be held. It leaves as commodity ingot for mills and foundries, or as a blended alloy when someone has sent us a written specification.
One offer covering removal, freight and the metal. Because we own the furnace there is a floor under the number, and we can price it without finding a buyer first.
Keep title to your own material and pay to have it run and returned as ingot, bar, sow or pig. How tolling works.
Everything is re-weighed here and the ticket goes to you. Chemistry on blended product is verified by an independent laboratory, not by us. What comes out.
Most jobs arrive as a mix. Separated metal prices as itself, so it is worth knowing what else is in the pile. All metals we buy.