Romex Wire Scrap commonly refers to discarded copper Type NM-B nonmetallic-sheathed cable used for residential and light-commercial electrical wiring.
Romex® is a Southwire brand name, although the term is often used informally in the scrap industry to describe similar nonmetallic-sheathed household wiring.
Because the cable combines valuable copper conductors with insulation, paper and an outer plastic jacket, scrap yards generally purchase Romex as an insulated copper-wire grade rather than as clean copper.
Romex Brand Type NM-B cable is an electrical building cable designed primarily for branch circuits in dry residential applications.
Current copper Romex NM-B construction can include:
The number and size of conductors depend on the cable configuration and electrical application.
NM-B stands for a type of nonmetallic-sheathed building cable.
The cable contains insulated electrical conductors and a grounding conductor enclosed within a nonmetallic outer jacket.
It is commonly used for residential branch circuits supplying outlets, switches, lighting and other loads in normally dry locations.
A typical copper Romex cable contains several material layers that affect its scrap recovery.
These can include:
The copper represents the primary scrap-metal value, while the insulation and jacket reduce the percentage of recoverable metal by total weight.
Romex Brand cable is manufactured with different outer-jacket colors that can help identify common conductor sizes and configurations.
Southwire's current Romex Brand NM-B specifications include examples such as:
Jacket color is useful for cable identification, but it should not be treated as a universal scrap-grade standard because products, manufacturers and older cable may use different color conventions.
Yes. Copper Romex NM-B contains copper electrical conductors and a bare copper grounding wire.
Southwire's current copper Type NM-B specification uses solid copper conductors in common smaller sizes such as 14 AWG through 10 AWG, while larger sizes can use stranded copper conductors.
However, the entire weight of a Romex cable is not copper because the cable also contains insulation, jacket material and paper.
Copper recovery is the percentage of the cable's total weight that remains as recoverable copper after insulation, paper and other non-copper material are removed.
Recovery varies according to:
Scrap yards may therefore use commercial categories such as standard Romex Wire or a specified recovery grade such as Romex 65% Copper Wire.
Do not assume that every Romex cable has exactly the same copper recovery percentage.
House Wire is a broader commercial scrap term that can include several types of insulated electrical wiring recovered from residential buildings.
Romex Wire more specifically refers to nonmetallic-sheathed building cable, particularly Romex Brand or similar NM-B cable.
Scrap yards may price Romex separately from other insulated household wiring because its construction and expected copper recovery are relatively predictable.
For comparison, RecyclingMonster tracks both Romex Wire Scrap Prices and Household Copper Wire Prices.
Romex is one type of insulated copper-wire scrap, but it differs from many single-conductor cables because several conductors are bundled within one outer sheath.
The individual hot and neutral conductors remain insulated even after the outer Romex jacket is removed.
This means removing the outer jacket alone does not convert Romex into clean Bare Bright Copper.
Not automatically.
Romex contains an outer jacket plus insulation around the current-carrying conductors. Fully stripping the cable can therefore require substantial labor.
Before stripping a large quantity, compare:
For small amounts, selling Romex intact may produce a better return on time.
Not necessarily.
Removing only the outer NM-B jacket leaves the hot and neutral wires individually insulated.
Even after all insulation is removed, the recovered copper must still meet the receiving buyer's Bare Bright specification for cleanliness, coating, wire condition and other requirements.
The bare grounding conductor may also be graded according to the scrap yard's own copper specification.
For current high-grade copper comparisons, see RecyclingMonster's Bare Bright Copper Scrap Prices.
No. Burning insulation is not an appropriate way to recover copper from electrical cable.
Romex cable uses plastic insulation and jacket materials, including PVC. Burning these materials can release hazardous combustion products and can also cause the copper to be downgraded.
Use mechanical stripping, commercial wire-processing equipment or an appropriate scrap-wire recycler instead.
Romex Wire Scrap is commonly generated during residential electrical installation, repair and renovation.
Typical sources include:
Clean new-construction offcuts can differ from cable removed from older buildings.
New Romex Scrap is generally clean, dry and free of paint, plaster and demolition debris.
Used Romex Scrap may contain staples, connectors, wire nuts, boxes, paint or other attachments.
Scrap yards may apply different grades when contamination materially changes the recoverable-metal percentage.
Steel staples, junction-box pieces, connectors and other attachments can reduce the cleanliness of a Romex load.
Removing obvious steel or bulky non-wire attachments can improve grading consistency when the labor required is reasonable.
Ask the receiving scrap yard whether small staples or connectors affect its Romex buying grade before processing large quantities.
Romex Wire Scrap prices depend on copper-market conditions, expected copper recovery, cable size, cleanliness, preparation, quantity, location and the receiving yard's grading system.
Larger-gauge cable may have a different copper-to-insulation ratio from smaller household wire, while dirty or mixed material may receive a lower grade.
For current grade-specific market information, view RecyclingMonster's Romex Wire Scrap Prices.
For a recovery-specific category, compare Romex 65% Copper Wire Prices.
You can also review the broader Copper Scrap Prices database.
Always check the location and last-updated date before comparing quotes because Romex prices vary substantially between individual scrap yards.
Romex Wire Scrap is purchased by many nonferrous metal recyclers, insulated-wire processors and scrap yards.
RecyclingMonster's Recycle an Item tool can be used to find facilities accepting Romex Wire, #1 Electrical Wire (Romex), House Wire and related insulated-copper grades.
You can also use RecyclingMonster's Metal Recycling Center Directory to locate copper and insulated-wire buyers by location.
Electrical contractors, residential builders, demolition companies and renovation contractors can generate substantial quantities of Romex during construction and rewiring projects.
For bulk loads, ask prospective buyers about:
Keeping clean electrical offcuts separated at the job site can reduce later sorting and help preserve a higher-quality insulated-wire stream.