Metals & Recycled Scrap

Copper Scrap

Millberry, Candy and Birch/Cliff to ISRI/ReMA grade

Copper scrap grading is a language, and the words carry prices. Millberry is No. 1 bare bright copper wire: clean, unalloyed, uncoated and untinned, minimum 16 gauge, running 99.9% copper — the top of the book and the grade secondary refiners and rod mills want most. Berry covers No. 1 copper wire and nodules of the same chemistry in different form. Candy is No. 1 heavy copper solids — clean unalloyed tube, bus bar, clippings and heavy sheet, minimum 1.6 mm thick, free of solder, paint and coatings. Birch/Cliff sits below at No. 2: copper of 96% minimum content that may be tinned, soldered, painted or slightly oxidised, and which the trade almost always buys as the mixed Birch/Cliff designation rather than as separate lots. The distinctions are not cosmetic — tinned wire alone drops material out of No. 1 and into No. 2, and a single drum of tinned or soldered content in a Millberry container is enough to reprice the box.

Pricing is arithmetic off the exchange. Copper scrap trades as a percentage of the LME Grade A cash settlement — Millberry in the mid-to-high nineties, Candy a step below, Birch/Cliff in the high eighties to low nineties — with the discount reflecting refining loss, moisture and the recovery a refiner expects from the grade. That is why we quote against a stated pricing date and LME reference rather than a flat number, and why the assay matters: we XRF at purchase, verify gauge and coating at loading, and take a sample on volume lots. Free-of clauses cover moisture and burnt material, iron and other metallic attachments, and any radioactive or hazardous content, with radiation scanning certified at stuffing. Sourcing runs through yards, electrical and telecom contractors, transformer and motor dismantlers and industrial decommissioning across the Gulf, Europe, the UK and North America. Copper is dense and valuable, so containers load out on weight and on insurance limits rather than on volume — typically 20–24 MT in a 20ft box — and we work LC at sight, CAD and part-payment structures on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.

Indicative reference

$8,300–9,400 USD / MT

as at September 2026

IncotermsFOB · CFR · CIF

OriginsUAE & GCC, Europe, UK, USA, Africa

PackagingBundled, baled or drummed in 20ft containers; nodules in big bags

HS Code7404.00

Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.

Copper Scrap — sourcing, inspection and logistics

UAE & GCC · Europe · UK · USA · Africa

Typical Specification

Millberry Copper≥ 99.9% Cu · min 16 gauge · uncoated

Candy Copper≥ 99% Cu · min 1.6 mm thick

Birch/Cliff Copper≥ 96% Cu

Pricing Basis% of LME Grade A cash settlement

Free OfTinned & soldered wire (No. 1) · iron · moisture · burnt material

Loadability20–24 MT per 20ft container

Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.

Available Grades

Millberry — No. 1 Bare Bright Copper Wire (99.9%)Berry — No. 1 Copper Wire & NodulesCandy — No. 1 Heavy Copper SolidsBirch/Cliff — No. 2 Copper (96% min)Copper Tube & Bus BarTransformer & Motor Copper Windings

Applications

Secondary copper refining
Copper rod & wire mills
Brass & bronze alloying
Foundry & casting

Copper Scrap — buyer questions

What is the difference between Millberry, Candy and Birch/Cliff?

Chemistry and form. Millberry is No. 1 bare bright wire — unalloyed, uncoated, untinned, minimum 16 gauge, 99.9% copper. Candy is No. 1 heavy solids: clean tube, bus bar and sheet at minimum 1.6 mm and 99% copper. Birch/Cliff is No. 2 at 96% minimum, where tinned, soldered, painted or lightly oxidised material is allowed. Tinning alone moves a lot from No. 1 to No. 2, so the grade is decided by what is in the box, not by how bright it looks.

How do you price copper scrap?

As a percentage of the LME Grade A cash settlement on an agreed pricing date, not as a flat figure. Millberry typically prices in the mid-to-high nineties percent, Candy below that, Birch/Cliff in the high eighties to low nineties — the discount covering refining loss, moisture and expected recovery. Quoting this way means you can see exactly what you are paying for the grade rather than guessing at the spread when the exchange moves.

Can you supply against an XRF or melt assay?

Yes. We XRF at purchase, verify gauge and coating at loading, and draw a sample on volume lots. For refiners who settle on assay we can structure the contract on an outturn basis with the inspection agency drawing and sealing samples at stuffing, so the payable metal follows the analysis rather than the description.

How much copper scrap fits in a container?

Between 20 and 24 MT in a 20ft box, and the constraint is weight and cargo-insurance limits rather than space. It is common to load a single 20ft container well under its volume capacity because the value concentration is high — for large positions we split across multiple boxes rather than reaching for 40ft equipment, which does not help on a weight-limited cargo.

Ready to source Copper Scrap?

Send your quantity, specification, preferred Incoterms and destination port. We'll verify supply and respond with a workable offer — usually within one business day.

Have Copper Scrap to sell? Submit an offer — we'll match it against live buyer demand.