#1 Heavy Copper Scrap: Grades, Prices and Recycling

#1 Heavy Copper Scrap is a premium copper scrap grade consisting of clean, unalloyed and uncoated copper solids and tubing. It is commonly generated by electrical contractors, manufacturers, plumbing operations, industrial maintenance facilities and demolition companies.

Under current Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) specifications, the grade is identified as Candy / No. 1 Heavy Copper Solids and Tubing. Clean material preparation and separation are important because solder, coatings, fittings and other contaminants can affect the grade assigned by a scrap buyer.

What Is #1 Heavy Copper Scrap?

Under ReMA's Candy / No. 1 Heavy Copper Solids and Tubing specification, qualifying material includes:

• Clean copper clippings
• Copper punchings
• Clean copper bus bars
• Commutator segments
• Clean copper tubing

The material must be clean, unalloyed and uncoated.

Hydraulically briquetted copper may also be accepted when agreed upon between buyer and seller.

What Does Not Belong in #1 Heavy Copper?

Material intended for a clean #1 Heavy Copper load should generally be kept free of significant contamination, including:

• Solder and soldered attachments
• Tin or other metallic coatings
• Lead contamination
• Brass and bronze fittings
• Steel or iron attachments
• Paint and other surface coatings
• Insulation
• Oil, sediment and excessive dirt
• Other non-copper materials

Material that does not meet the Candy specification may be purchased under another copper grade, depending on its composition and the receiving buyer's requirements.

Does #1 Heavy Copper Include Copper Wire?

#1 Heavy Copper and #1 Copper Wire are separate ReMA specifications.

Candy covers copper solids and tubing. It does not define qualifying material according to copper-wire thickness or gauge.

Clean No. 1 Copper Wire is covered separately under specifications such as Barley and Berry.

ReMA also recognizes a Berry/Candy combination grade for qualifying No. 1 Copper Wire and No. 1 Heavy Copper.

Unless a combination grade has been agreed upon, sellers should keep heavy copper solids and tubing separate from copper wire.

What Is Candy Copper?

Candy is the ReMA code word for No. 1 Heavy Copper Solids and Tubing.

It is used in commercial scrap transactions to identify clean, unalloyed and uncoated copper solids and tubing meeting the agreed specification.

Using the Candy designation helps buyers and sellers identify the material being traded more precisely than a generic description such as "clean copper."

Common Sources of #1 Heavy Copper Scrap

#1 Heavy Copper may be generated during electrical, industrial, manufacturing, plumbing and demolition activities.

Common sources include:

• Electrical copper bus bars
• Industrial copper punchings
• Manufacturing clippings and offcuts
• Clean copper pipe and tubing
• Electrical equipment
• Commutator segments
• Industrial dismantling projects
• Mechanical and plumbing installations
• Clean production scrap

The source of the material does not automatically establish its grade. Cleanliness, composition and preparation remain important.

How Can You Identify #1 Heavy Copper?

Clean copper commonly has a reddish-orange or reddish-brown appearance and should be free of significant coatings and foreign attachments when prepared for a #1 Heavy Copper load.

Typical identifying characteristics include:

• Solid copper or clean copper tubing
• No insulation
• No significant solder
• No brass or bronze fittings
• No strong magnetic response
• A clean, uncoated surface

Copper is nonferrous, so a magnet can help identify unwanted steel or iron attachments.

However, magnetic testing cannot confirm copper purity or determine the exact scrap grade.

Does Tarnished Copper Qualify as #1 Heavy Copper?

Surface color alone does not determine the grade.

Copper naturally darkens and oxidizes over time. A scrap buyer may consider composition, surface coatings, solder, attachments and other contamination when assessing the material.

Clean copper that has darkened should not automatically be considered a lower grade solely because it is no longer bright.

Heavily coated, contaminated or chemically altered copper may receive another grade. Sellers should confirm the buyer's acceptance requirements.

#1 Heavy Copper vs. #2 Copper

The principal difference is the applicable specification for cleanliness, composition and allowable contamination.

#1 Heavy Copper: Under ReMA Candy, material must consist of clean, unalloyed and uncoated copper solids and tubing.

#2 Copper: Under ReMA Cliff, No. 2 Copper Solids and Tubing consists of miscellaneous unalloyed copper scrap with nominal 96% copper content and a minimum of 94% copper content, subject to restrictions on contaminants.

Material with soldered joints, coatings or other contamination may no longer qualify for Candy, although the buyer must determine whether it meets another grade.

Keeping #1 and #2 copper separate helps prevent clean copper from being blended into a lower-value mixed load.

#1 Heavy Copper vs. #1 Copper Tubing

#1 Copper Tubing is one form of material included within the broader ReMA Candy specification.

Qualifying copper tubing must be clean, unalloyed and uncoated.

Tubing with significant solder, brass fittings, steel connections, paint or other foreign material may require further preparation or a different purchasing grade.

Some scrap yards quote copper tubing separately from other clean copper solids, so sellers should confirm the exact buying category.

#1 Heavy Copper vs. Bare Bright Copper

#1 Heavy Copper and Bare Bright Copper are both premium copper scrap streams, but they are different materials.

Bare Bright Copper refers to qualifying bare, uncoated and unalloyed copper wire under ReMA's Barley specification.

#1 Heavy Copper refers to qualifying copper solids and tubing under the Candy specification.

Neither grade should automatically be described as permanently more valuable than the other. Scrap-yard buying prices vary by market, location, date and material requirements.

#1 Heavy Copper vs. Copper Bus Bar

Clean, unalloyed and uncoated copper bus bars are specifically included in ReMA's Candy specification.

However, industrial bus bars may contain plating, steel hardware, insulation or other attachments.

These components may require removal before the material can qualify for a clean #1 Heavy Copper grade.

Industrial generators should keep clean bus bars separate from contaminated electrical assemblies when practical.

Does Solder Downgrade #1 Heavy Copper?

Significant solder contamination can prevent otherwise clean copper from qualifying for the ReMA Candy specification.

Copper pipe containing soldered joints may be assigned a lower commercial grade when it does not satisfy the buyer's clean-copper requirements.

Removing soldered joints may improve the grading of the remaining clean copper when the additional labor is economically worthwhile.

Before processing large quantities, sellers should compare the potential grade improvement with the cost of preparation.

Do Brass Fittings Need to Be Removed?

Brass and bronze attachments should generally be removed from copper intended for a clean #1 Heavy Copper load.

These alloys have separate scrap values and may be purchased under their own categories.

Separating them helps maintain clean copper material while allowing brass or bronze to be evaluated independently.

What Affects #1 Heavy Copper Scrap Prices?

#1 Heavy Copper Scrap prices depend on copper-market conditions, material form, cleanliness, preparation, quantity, location, freight and individual buyer requirements.

Scrap-yard buying prices should not be treated as equivalent to copper futures or headline spot-metal quotations.

Local prices reflect the actual buying grade, processing requirements, transportation and market conditions.

For grade-specific market comparisons, RecyclingMonster provides:

• #1 Copper Scrap Prices
• #1 Copper Solid Scrap Prices
• #1 Copper Pipe Scrap Prices
• Copper Scrap Prices

Always verify the grade name, geographic location, currency, unit and last-updated date before comparing offers.

Is #1 Heavy Copper the Highest-Priced Copper Scrap?

#1 Heavy Copper is a premium copper scrap grade, but it is not universally the highest-priced form of copper scrap.

Bare Bright Copper Wire, clean copper solids, copper tubing and other premium grades may receive different prices depending on the buyer and local market.

Comparisons should use current, grade-specific scrap-yard quotations rather than a permanent ranking of copper grades.

How to Maximize #1 Heavy Copper Scrap Value

Proper separation and preparation can help preserve the material's grade and reduce the need for additional sorting.

• Keep clean #1 Copper separate from #2 Copper.
• Keep copper wire separate from heavy solids and tubing when the buyer grades them differently.
• Remove brass and bronze fittings when practical.
• Remove significant steel and iron attachments.
• Separate soldered sections from clean tubing when economically worthwhile.
• Keep insulation, paint, oil and other contamination out of the load.
• Separate clean copper bus bars from plated or assembled electrical components.
• Confirm buyer preparation requirements before processing large quantities.

Where Can You Sell #1 Heavy Copper Scrap?

#1 Heavy Copper is purchased by nonferrous scrap processors, copper recyclers and metal recycling centers.

RecyclingMonster maintains a #1 Copper Recycling Centers directory containing facilities that identify #1 Copper among their accepted materials.

For tubing, sellers can also use the #1 Copper Pipe and Tubing Recycling Centers directory.

For broader searches, use RecyclingMonster's Recycle an Item tool to find facilities accepting copper scrap.

Confirm the buyer's material specifications, available services and purchasing requirements before delivery.

Have Large Quantities of #1 Heavy Copper?

Electrical contractors, manufacturers, industrial facilities, plumbing companies and demolition firms may generate substantial quantities of clean heavy copper.

For bulk shipments, separate tubing, solids, copper wire and contaminated material whenever practical.

Ask prospective buyers about:

• #1 Copper and ReMA Candy specifications
• Solid copper versus tubing categories
• Contamination limits
• Minimum shipment quantities
• Gaylord box or container service
• Pickup availability
• Delivered-versus-pickup pricing

Keeping clean copper separated at the point of generation can reduce downstream sorting and help preserve higher-quality copper grades.

Industry Impact

Who it affects: Electrical contractors, manufacturers, plumbers, demolition firms, nonferrous scrap processors and copper consumers.

Operational relevance: #1 Heavy Copper is a clean copper-solids and tubing stream governed by specific composition and cleanliness requirements.

Separating heavy copper from wire, soldered tubing, brass fittings and lower-grade copper helps processors maintain a more consistent feedstock and gives downstream consumers greater predictability in material quality.