Insulated Copper Wire

Insulated copper wire are bought based on the amount of copper in the wire. Percentages typically range from 13% to 80+% and prices are based on recovery. #1 ICW has many grades – 60%, 65%, 70%, and 80%+. Examples of each are Romex (65%), House Wire such as 110V (70%), or MCM Cable (80%). #2 ICW also has multiple grades – 35%, 48%, and 50%. Examples of each are extension cords (35%), CAT 5 and CAT 6 Cable (48%), and insulated stranded wire (50%). #3 ICW has two grades – 20% and 13%. Examples of each are Christmas lights (20%) and data cable (13%). Some wire has less than 12% recovery and is also bought at a very low price. Cell phone chargers, USB cables, printer cables, and other electronics cords are often aluminum or less than 5% copper, making their value very low.