Copper Scrap Grades Explained: A Buyer’s Guide for Singapore

Copper is the highest-value common scrap metal in Singapore — but “copper scrap” covers half a dozen distinct grades, each with a different price. Selling 100 kg of mixed copper at the wrong grade can cost you $200 or more. This guide covers the five grades you’ll actually see and how to tell them apart.

Grade 1: Bright Copper (No. 1)

The premium grade. Dry, clean, bare, uncoated copper wire — at least 1/16 inch thick (1.6mm), bright shiny finish, no oxidation or attachments. Comes from stripped electrical wiring, new industrial offcuts, and clean plumbing offcuts.

Singapore rate (April 2026): from $9.00/kg. We buy all bright copper you can bring — see our copper scrap page for today’s firm rate.

Grade 2: Heavy Copper

Unalloyed copper in sheet, tube, or bus bar form, thicker than 1/16 inch, clean. Darker than bright copper due to light oxidation but still pure. Common in old hot water tanks, copper roofing, industrial bus bars, and plumbing.

Singapore rate: ~$8.50/kg. Slightly below bright because of the oxidation layer.

Grade 3: Copper Cable (75% Yield)

PVC-insulated copper cable. The “75%” refers to the copper content once the plastic sheath is stripped. Most residential and commercial electrical cable falls here.

Singapore rate: ~$7.50/kg. If you strip the PVC yourself, it upgrades to bright copper at $9/kg — but stripping is labour-intensive and usually only worth it for larger volumes.

Grade 4: Tinned Copper

Copper wire or sheet coated with a thin layer of tin (silver-grey appearance, hard to distinguish from silver-plated copper without a scratch). Used in marine and high-reliability electronics for corrosion resistance.

Singapore rate: ~$7.00/kg. The tin layer doesn’t hurt much, but it needs separate processing.

Grade 5: Braziery / Irony Copper

Copper with iron attachments, heavy solder, or significant oxidation. Radiators, heat exchangers, and copper components with iron fixtures. The iron contamination drops the value meaningfully.

Singapore rate: ~$5.50/kg. If you can cleanly separate the copper from the iron, upgrading it to bright is worth the time.

What About Copper in Motors and Transformers?

Electric motors, generators, and transformers contain copper windings, but they’re wrapped around iron cores and encased in steel housings. These are priced as “whole unit” scrap — lower per-kg than bright copper, but Molten Steel strips them for recovery. If you have a quantity of motors, it may be worth paying to have the copper pulled out commercially.

How Grading Works at the Yard

When you book a pickup or drop off at 170 Gul Circle, our team inspects and grades your load in front of you. We’ll tell you what percentage of the load is bright vs. cable vs. braziery, and the mixed price reflects that.

You always see the weigh and the grade before we finalize the price. If you disagree, no pressure — we can renegotiate or decline the deal. That’s how a licensed, reputable buyer should operate.

Quick Price Recap

• Bright copper (No. 1): from $9.00/kg
• Heavy copper: ~$8.50/kg
• Copper cable (75%): ~$7.50/kg
• Tinned copper: ~$7.00/kg
• Braziery / irony copper: ~$5.50/kg

Rates update weekly against the LME. See our live copper scrap prices or call for today’s firm quote.