What's a reasonable price deduction for copper wire with heavy PVC insulation still attached?
Short answer: There's no single fixed percentage that applies everywhere, since the deduction depends on the ratio of insulation weight to copper weight for that specific wire, but it's reasonable to ask a buyer directly for their insulated-versus-bare rate so you can see the actual gap they're applying rather than accepting a vague "less for insulated" without a number.
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List Free →Why there’s no universal percentage
A thick-gauge wire with a thin PVC jacket loses much less value to insulation than a thin-gauge wire with heavy, thick insulation, simply because the proportion of the total weight that’s actually copper differs so much between wire types.
What to actually ask for
Rather than accepting a vague “we pay less for insulated,” ask a buyer for their specific bare copper rate and their specific insulated rate side by side, so you can calculate the real gap being applied to your particular wire.
When stripping changes the calculation
If the gap seems unreasonably large relative to what you’d expect the insulation weight to actually be, that’s worth questioning — and it may tip the calculation toward stripping the wire yourself being worth the labor, even for a moderate volume.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
Comparing insulated-wire rates across multiple ScrapTrade listings gives you a real sense of the typical market deduction, rather than relying on just one buyer’s number to judge whether an offer is fair.
Ready to sell or source copper scrap without the guesswork? ScrapTrade connects verified buyers and sellers with escrow-protected payments and transparent weighing.
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