Wire, Cable & Conductor Manufacturing calculator

Wire Scrap Recovery Value Calculator

Reconcile net proceeds from a wire scrap settlement. Enter accepted copper and aluminum weights, their agreed grade prices and separate processing or haul charges.

What this calculator does

  • Reconcile net proceeds from a wire scrap settlement.

Formula used

  • Copper value = Accepted copper weight × Agreed copper price
  • Aluminum value = Accepted aluminum weight × Agreed aluminum price
  • Net settlement = Copper value + Aluminum value − Charges

Inputs explained

  • Accepted Copper Scrap: Settlement weight accepted under the agreed copper grade.
  • Agreed Copper Scrap Price: Price for the accepted copper grade and weight basis.
  • Accepted Aluminum Scrap: Settlement weight accepted under the agreed aluminum grade.
  • Agreed Aluminum Scrap Price: Price for the accepted aluminum grade and weight basis.
  • Processing and Haul Charges: All settlement deductions outside the quoted grade prices.

How to use the result

  • Best suited to scrap settlement review, buyer quote comparison.
  • The calculator does not grade scrap or infer purity, recovery yield or live prices.

Current U.S. benchmarks

  • The producer price index for primary nonferrous metals (a broad metals benchmark, not copper alone) stands at 544.731 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 49.3% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,543 per tonne (IMF via FRED, Jul 2026).
  • The U.S. has 5,397 electrical equipment and appliances establishments employing about 369,437 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

  • Can net recovery be negative? Yes. Processing and haul charges can exceed the accepted material value.
  • Should I enter gross insulated cable weight? Use the weight basis accepted by the buyer for the quoted grade.
  • Can charges be included in the price? Yes, but do not subtract them again as separate deductions.
  • Does this identify the scrap grade? No. Grade and contamination terms must be agreed outside the calculator.

Last reviewed 2026-10-12.