1 vs 2 Insulated Copper Wire: Everything You Should Know About

1 vs 2 Insulated Copper Wire

Copper is is a soft and malleable metal that has plenty of usage. It is frequently used in industrial and construction machinery since it is an excellent conductor and can hold both heat and electricity efficiently. It has also been used for jewelry, thermocouples, and more. Because of these characteristics, copper is commonly considered for recycling and scraping. However, there are many different types of copper scrap, and within that, there are also several grades of copper.

Whether you have stripped copper wire, insulated copper wire, or any other grade of copper wire, if you can’t differentiate between these grades of copper, you won’t be able to maximize your scrape. Moreover, different copper scrap has different pricing as well. Number 1 and 2 insulated copper wire are one of the most common ones among many grades of copper. But what is the main difference between them? Well,

The short answer is – “The width of the copper is the primary difference between number 1 and number 2 insulated copper wire. Compared to number 1, number 2 copper has thinner and smaller wires.”

Let’s dive into more details on the 1 vs 2 insulated copper wire discussion.

Number 1 Insulated Copper Wire

Number 1 insulated wire refers to the pure, unalloyed, uncoated, and untinned copper wire or cable. This has a cleaner appearance and is free from coatings or alloys. You can find this kind of wire in the form of a laquer, shellac, or tin.

Number 2 Insulated Copper Wire

Number 2 insulated copper wire is not free from impurities and consists of miscellaneous, unalloyed wire, pipe, or solid metal that also have solder, paint, or any kind of coating on it. Some of the most number 2 insulated copper wires are found on phone wires, data wires, computer cables, angel hair wires, tin-coated copper, appliance cables, adapters, speaker cable, and extension cord wires.

1 vs 2 Insulated Copper Wire differences

Here are some key differences between number 1 and number 2 insulated copper wire.

1 vs 2 Insulated Copper Wire differences
  • The main difference between number 1 and number 2 insulated copper is its width. The number 1 insulated copper gauge is at least 16 gauge thick or above, whereas and number 2 insulated copper wire is thinner than 16 gauge. 
  • Number 1 insulated copper wire doesn’t have any coatings and comes with plastic insulation. On the other hand, number 2 has tin and nickel coatings and includes heavy, double, or plastic insulation.
  • Number 1 consists of clean, unalloyed, uncoated, and untinned copper wires with a 99% pure copper composition. Number 2 insulated copper includes contaminated copper metal with a 94-96% copper composition. 

Which Copper is Classed as Clean Copper for Scrapping?

Bare bright copper is the cleanest copper for scrapping. However, bare bright copper is also considered the number 1 copper as long as it’s it is free of fittings, insulation, paint, solder, and other materials and shows few signs of corrosion.

Pricing of 1 and 2 Insulated Copper Wire

Copper is one of the most profitable scrap metals. If scrap copper is clean and of a higher quality grade, such as a buzz bar or dry, bright wire, the price per kilogram will be greater. Moreover, the supply and demand in the global metal markets control the price of copper as it does for the majority of metals.

  • Number 1 insulated copper wire is stranded, and each wire is 16 gauge or thicker and has a copper recovery of 75% or more. Their price ranges from $2.00-$2.20/lb. 
  • Number 2 insulated copper wire is smaller than 16 gauge and has a copper recovery of 55% – 79%. They are sold at a rate of $00.40-$1.60/lb.

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