Wire, Cable & Conductor Manufacturing worked example

Copper Cost Per Foot at 58% copper content capture factor: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop copper content capture factor to 58%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Copper Cost Per Foot turns the day's LME-driven copper price into the loaded material cost carried by each foot of finished conductor.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Conductor length produced: 100 units (held at the documented default)
  • Copper cost per foot of length: 45 $ / unit (held at the documented default)
  • Copper content capture factor: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
  • Fixed setup and tooling cost: 250 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Copper Cost Per Foot cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost.
  • Weighted cost works out to 2,860 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Per piece value works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Captured value works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed adjustment works out to 250 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where copper content capture factor sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to copper content capture factor, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It models copper as a single blended rate and does not separate conductor gauge, copper premium, or scrap credit — for tight quotes feed it a rate that already includes premium and expected scrap recovery.

Results at a glance

  • Weighted cost: 2,860 $ (headline result)
  • Per piece value: 28.6 $ / piece
  • Captured value: 2,610 $
  • Fixed adjustment: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Copper Cost Per Foot calculator, set copper content capture factor to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.