What is the difference between bright copper and No. 1 copper?

Both are clean, unalloyed copper. Bright copper wire is uncoated wire thicker than 16 gauge with no tarnish. No. 1 copper covers clean tube, bus bar and heavier solids, and tolerates light oxidation. Bright copper pays more.

Does tarnished copper wire still count as bright?

No. Once the surface has dulled or gone green it is classified as No. 1 or No. 2 depending on condition. Store stripped wire dry and bring it in promptly to hold the higher grade.

Bright Copper Wire

The cleanest and most valuable copper wire.

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Bright bare copper wire scrap stripped of insulation for top prices at Shine Motor Corporation Sydney

What this grade accepts

Bare bright copper wire

What it does not

Tarnished wire
Insulation

Where it usually comes from

Electrical contractors

How to prepare it

Strip insulation completely.

Not sure? Send a photo before you sort anything — it costs nothing to ask.

About Bright Copper Wire

Bright copper wire is the highest-paying copper grade in the yard, and the gap between it and No. 2 is wide enough to be worth the sorting time. To make the grade, wire must be bare, uncoated, unalloyed and thicker than 16 gauge — bright and shiny, with no tarnish, no tinning, no solder and no insulation left on the ends.

The most common reason a load gets downgraded is oxidation. Copper that has sat outside and gone dull or green is still copper, but it is no longer bright, and it will be classified down. Keep it dry and undercover between the strip and the yard visit, and bring it in sooner rather than later.

If you have stripped the wire yourself, check the ends: a few centimetres of remaining insulation or a soldered tag is enough to move a whole bag into a lower grade. It is quicker to trim it at home than to have it sorted out on the scales.

Common questions

What is the difference between bright copper and No. 1 copper?: Both are clean, unalloyed copper. Bright copper wire is uncoated wire thicker than 16 gauge with no tarnish. No. 1 copper covers clean tube, bus bar and heavier solids, and tolerates light oxidation. Bright copper pays more.
Does tarnished copper wire still count as bright?: No. Once the surface has dulled or gone green it is classified as No. 1 or No. 2 depending on condition. Store stripped wire dry and bring it in promptly to hold the higher grade.