Should You Strip Copper Wire? When It's Worth Your Time

Every scrapper hits this question eventually: should I strip this pile of copper wire, or just sell it as-is? The answer depends on the wire gauge, how much you have, the tools you’re using, and what your time is worth. This guide breaks it all down so you can make the right call every time.

The Economics of Stripping Copper Wire

Scrap yards price copper wire in two basic tiers:

• Insulated copper wire (also called “dirty” or “#2 insulated”) — priced lower because the yard has to process it themselves.
• Bare bright copper (also called “#1 copper” or “bright and shiny”) — the premium grade per ISRI grading standards. Clean, uncoated, unsoldered copper wire thicker than 16 gauge.

The price gap between insulated and stripped copper typically runs $0.80 to $1.50 per pound, depending on your local market and current copper prices. That gap is your potential profit — but you have to weigh it against the time and effort of stripping. In competitive markets like Houston and Los Angeles, the spread can be even wider at yards hungry for clean copper.

The key factors that determine whether stripping pays off:

1. Wire gauge — Thicker wire strips faster and yields more copper per foot.
2. Volume — A small handful isn’t worth setting up for. A 5-gallon bucket? Absolutely.
3. Your tools — A $100 mechanical stripper changes the equation completely.
4. Current copper spread — The bigger the gap between insulated and bare bright prices, the more stripping pays.
5. Your time value — If you’re doing this on the side, $15-25/hr in added value might be great. If you’re running a business, you might need $40+/hr to justify the labor.

Break-Even Analysis by Wire Gauge

Not all wire is created equal. The gauge (thickness) of the wire determines how much copper you recover relative to insulation weight, and how fast you can strip it. Here’s the general breakdown:

AWG Gauge	Common Name	Copper Recovery	Strip Time per lb	Worth Stripping?
#4 and larger	Service entrance, battery cable	85-92%	2-3 min	Always yes
#6	Sub-panel feeder	80-88%	3-4 min	Always yes
#8	Range/dryer circuits	78-85%	4-5 min	Yes
#10	30-amp circuits	75-82%	5-7 min	Yes
#12	Standard Romex (20A)	70-78%	7-10 min	Usually yes
#14	Standard Romex (15A)	65-72%	10-15 min	Borderline
#16	Light-duty extension cords	55-65%	15-20 min	Usually no
#18 and smaller	Lamp cord, speaker wire, Cat5	40-55%	20+ min	No

Price Comparison Examples

Let’s look at real-world scenarios to show the difference stripping makes. These use typical mid-range prices — check current prices for your area.

Example 1: 50 lbs of 12/2 Romex (NM-B)

	Sell Insulated	Strip and Sell Bare
Weight	50 lbs	~37 lbs (74% recovery)
Price per lb	$1.60 (insulated)	$3.40 (bare bright)
Total payout	$80.00	$125.80
Time invested	0 min	~90 min (hand) / 25 min (machine)
Added value	—	$45.80
Effective hourly rate	—	$30.53/hr (hand) / $109.92/hr (machine)

Example 2: 20 lbs of Lamp Cord (#18 gauge)

	Sell Insulated	Strip and Sell Bare
Weight	20 lbs	~9 lbs (45% recovery)
Price per lb	$0.80 (light copper)	$3.40 (bare bright)
Total payout	$16.00	$30.60
Time invested	0 min	~7+ hours (hand only)
Added value	—	$14.60
Effective hourly rate	—	~$2.09/hr

Example 3: 30 lbs of THHN #10 (from a panel pull)

	Sell Insulated	Strip and Sell Bare
Weight	30 lbs	~24 lbs (80% recovery)
Price per lb	$2.00 (insulated)	$3.40 (bare bright)
Total payout	$60.00	$81.60
Time invested	0 min	~45 min (hand) / 12 min (machine)
Added value	—	$21.60
Effective hourly rate	—	$28.80/hr (hand) / $108/hr (machine)

Single-conductor THHN is some of the easiest wire to strip by hand — the insulation peels right off with a single score.

Wire Types and Recovery Rates

Different wire types have different insulation thicknesses, numbers of conductors, and bonus materials (like ground wires) that affect your recovery. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Wire Type	Typical Gauge	Copper Recovery	Notes
Romex (NM-B) 12/2	#12	70-75%	Two insulated conductors + bare ground. Ground wire is free bare copper.
Romex (NM-B) 14/2	#14	65-70%	Same as above but thinner conductors. Borderline for hand stripping.
Romex (NM-B) 10/3	#10	75-80%	Three conductors + ground. Great return.
THHN / THWN	Varies	75-85%	Single conductor, easy to strip. Color doesn’t matter for price.
MC Cable (BX)	#12 typical	60-70%	Metal armor jacket adds weight but no copper value. Strip the armor first.
Extension cords (heavy)	#12 or #10	65-75%	3 conductors. Worth stripping if heavy-duty (10 or 12 gauge).
Extension cords (light)	#16	50-60%	Usually not worth the time. Sell as-is.
Appliance cords	#14-#16	55-65%	Short lengths. Batch them up or sell insulated.
Cat5/Cat6	#24	35-40%	Extremely thin. Sell as “communications wire” — never hand-strip.
Coax cable (RG6)	#18 center	30-40%	Copper-clad steel center in cheap coax. Check with a magnet test.
Service entrance (SER)	#4-#2/0	85-92%	The gold standard. Always strip. Big payoff per foot.

Stripping Methods Compared

There are several ways to strip copper wire. Each has trade-offs in speed, cost, and quality of the finished product.

Mechanical Wire Stripping Machine

The best option if you process wire regularly. A bench-mounted stripper with a hand crank or drill attachment can process 40-60 lbs per hour for common gauges.

Pros:

• Fastest method by far
• Clean, consistent strips
• Handles most gauges with blade adjustments
• Pays for itself quickly (most cost $80-$150)

Cons:

• Upfront investment
• Takes practice to dial in blade depth for each gauge
• Not great for very short pieces (under 12 inches)
• Struggles with flat cable (Romex) on cheaper models

Best for: Anyone processing more than 25-50 lbs of wire per month. Run the numbers with our scrap calculator to see exactly how much a machine would save you.

Utility Knife / Box Cutter

The most common hand method. Score the insulation lengthwise, then peel it off.

Pros:

• Zero cost (you already own one)
• Works on any gauge
• Good for Romex — score the outer jacket, pull conductors, then strip each one

Cons:

• Slow on thin wire
• Risk of cutting yourself or nicking the copper (nicked copper may not grade as #1)
• Hand fatigue on long sessions

Best for: Small batches, occasional stripping, or when you’re just getting started.

Wire Strippers / Electrician’s Pliers

Standard electrician’s wire strippers with gauge notches work well for short, uniform pieces.

Pros:

• Precise, clean strips
• Safe — blades don’t contact your hands
• Cheap ($10-$20 for a decent pair)

Cons:

• Very slow for long runs — you’re pulling 6-12 inches at a time
• Only practical for individual conductors, not jacketed cable

Best for: Short pieces and THHN pulled from conduit.

The Burn Method

Step-by-Step Stripping Process

Here’s the process for hand-stripping the most common wire type — Romex (NM-B) residential cable. The same general approach applies to other multi-conductor cables.

Tools Worth Investing In

If you’re going to strip wire regularly, a few tools make the process dramatically faster and easier.

Tool	Typical Cost	Why It’s Worth It
Bench-mount wire stripper	$80-$150	Pays for itself in 1-2 sessions. Handles #10 through #4/0. Look for adjustable blade depth.
Heavy-duty wire cutters (12”)	$25-$40	Clean cuts on thick cable. Cheap cutters crush the wire and make feeding harder.
Utility knife (retractable)	$5-$10	For scoring jackets. Replace blades often — a dull blade slips and nicks copper.
Leather work gloves	$15-$25	Protects hands, improves grip. Essential for long sessions.
5-gallon buckets	$3-$5 each	Sort as you go: one for bare bright, one for #2, one for insulation scraps.
Digital hanging scale	$15-$25	Know your weight before you go to the yard. Builds trust and catches scale errors.
Cordless drill adapter	$20-$30	Attaches to some bench strippers. Turns a hand-crank into a powered machine.

Tips for Efficient Stripping

These tips come from years of scrapping experience. Small habits add up to big time savings.

1. Batch by type, then batch by gauge. Sort everything before you start stripping. Switching between wire types constantly kills your rhythm and speed.

2. Set a minimum gauge threshold. Decide before you start: “I’m only stripping #12 and larger today.” Everything thinner goes in the insulated wire pile for selling as-is.

3. Use the Romex ground wire trick. On 12/2 Romex, the bare ground wire is about 15% of the total copper weight — and it requires zero stripping. Don’t leave it in the jacket.

4. Strip while watching TV or listening to podcasts. Seriously. Hand stripping is repetitive but not mentally demanding. Pair it with entertainment and the time flies.

5. Keep your blade sharp. A fresh utility blade scores insulation cleanly with light pressure. A dull blade requires force, which leads to nicks and cuts. Swap blades every 20-30 minutes of active stripping.

6. Straighten kinked wire first. Bent and kinked wire is harder to strip and harder to feed through a machine. Take 10 seconds to straighten each piece before you strip it.

7. Don’t chase tiny scraps. Short pieces under 6 inches are more trouble than they’re worth for hand stripping. Toss them in the insulated pile and move on.

8. Accumulate before stripping. Don’t strip 5 lbs at a time — save up until you have a full bucket or two. The setup and cleanup time is the same whether you strip 10 lbs or 50 lbs.

9. Learn to read the jacket printing. Romex is printed with gauge and conductor count (e.g., “12/2 WITH GROUND NM-B”). This tells you instantly whether it’s worth stripping without cutting it open.

10. Check if your yard has a stripping service. Some larger yards will strip wire for you at a fee — usually 10-15% of the price difference. If you don’t have a machine and the volume is high, this can be worth it. Larger yards in metro areas like Dallas, Chicago, and New York are more likely to offer this service.

For more general prep advice, see our guide on preparing scrap metal for maximum value.

The Decision Table

Use this table as a quick reference when you’re standing in front of a pile of wire trying to decide what to do.

Situation	Recommendation	Why
#6 AWG or larger, any quantity	Strip it	High recovery rate, fast to strip, big payoff per pound
#8-#10 AWG, 10+ lbs	Strip it	Good return, especially with a machine
#12 Romex, 25+ lbs	Strip it	Worth the time. Don’t forget the ground wire.
#12 Romex, under 10 lbs	Sell insulated	The time doesn’t justify the small return
#14 Romex, any quantity	Sell insulated (usually)	Borderline. Only strip with a machine if you have 50+ lbs
THHN #10 or larger	Strip it	Single conductor, easy to strip, great recovery
THHN #14	Depends on volume	Machine: yes if 25+ lbs. Hand: usually not worth it
Heavy extension cords (#10-#12)	Strip it	Good copper content, just split the outer jacket first
Light extension cords (#16)	Sell insulated	Low recovery, slow to strip
Appliance cords	Sell insulated	Too short, too thin, too slow
Cat5/Cat6 network cable	Sell insulated	Tiny gauge (#24). You’ll go crazy trying to strip this.
Coax cable	Sell insulated or discard	Low copper content, possibly copper-clad steel
Christmas lights	Sell insulated	Tiny wire, impossible to strip efficiently
Unknown wire	Test with a magnet, then decide	Make sure it’s actually copper before investing time

Finding the Best Prices Near You

Copper prices vary significantly between yards — sometimes by $0.50/lb or more on bare bright. Before you strip a big batch, call around or check prices at multiple yards. Even a short drive to a better-paying yard can add up over a season.

Use our scrap yard directory to find yards near you that buy copper wire. You can filter by material type and compare options in your area. Browse copper recycling pages for major cities like Phoenix, Miami, San Antonio, and Columbus to see what yards are paying in those markets. And keep an eye on current scrap prices — copper moves with the commodities market, so timing your sell can make a real difference.

For more on which metals are worth the most effort, check out our guide to the most valuable scrap metals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth stripping copper wire?

It depends on the wire gauge and your tools. Wire #10 AWG and larger is almost always worth stripping — you can add $1.00-$1.50 per pound in value. Wire #14 and smaller is usually not worth the time unless you have a mechanical stripper and high volume. Use our scrap calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.

Can you burn insulation off copper wire?

No. Burning wire insulation is illegal in most states and municipalities, with fines ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. PVC insulation releases hydrogen chloride, dioxins, and furans — serious health hazards. On top of that, most scrap yards will reject burnt copper outright or downgrade it to #2 copper pricing, wiping out any time you saved. Use a knife, wire strippers, or a mechanical stripping machine.

What gauge wire is worth stripping?

#10 AWG and larger is always worth stripping. #12 is usually worth it if you have 25+ lbs. #14 is borderline — only worth it with a machine and 50+ lbs. #16 and smaller should be sold insulated. See our break-even analysis for the full breakdown.

How much more does stripped copper pay vs insulated?

The price gap between insulated copper wire and bare bright copper typically runs $0.80 to $1.50 per pound, depending on your local market and current copper prices. With a mechanical stripper, this can translate to $50-$100+ per hour in added value.

What’s the best wire stripping tool?

A bench-mounted mechanical wire stripper ($80-$150) is the best investment if you process wire regularly. It can strip 40-60 lbs per hour and pays for itself in a single session. For occasional use, a utility knife works fine for thick wire. See our tools comparison for more details.

Can you sell burnt copper wire?

Most reputable scrap yards will either reject burnt copper outright or buy it at a steep discount — typically #2 copper pricing or lower. Burnt copper has a distinctive dark, oxidized appearance that yards can easily identify. You’ll make less money than if you had stripped it properly, and you risk legal trouble on top of it.