Home / Blog / Stripping Copper Wire

Is It Worth Stripping Copper Wire?

The honest answer: sometimes. Here is the sixty-second test before you spend an evening with a Stanley knife.

26 September 2026 · By OJ Metal Recycling

The Short Answer

Strip It If It Is Thick, Skip It If It Is Thin

Clean stripped copper — bright wire — is one of the highest-value things we weigh. But stripping only pays when the cable holds enough copper to justify your time. Heavy twin & earth, thick cooker cable and chunky offcuts: usually worth it. Thin flex, extension leads, phone chargers and data cable: the copper inside is a small fraction of the weight, and you will work an hour for pence.

Rule of thumb: if the copper core is thicker than a matchstick and you have a carrier bag or more of it, strip away. If you need tweezers, send it as insulated cable.

Know Your Cable

How Much Copper Is Actually in There?

Whether stripping pays starts with what is inside the insulation. Cable types vary enormously in copper content — here they are ranked from most to least rewarding to strip:

Heavy power cable

Thick cooker cable, shower cable and heavy singles carry fat copper cores under relatively thin insulation. The best return on your stripping time — a carrier bag of this is genuinely worth an evening.

Twin & earth

Standard grey domestic cable from rewires and extensions. Solid copper cores, middling insulation — worth stripping in quantity, especially 6mm and 10mm sizes.

High-grade cable

Clean trade cable with strong copper content, typically in the 60–80% range. Light insulation, excellent recovery — always worth separating and often worth stripping.

Flex & extension leads

Fine multi-strand copper made to bend, not to weigh much. Fiddly to strip and light when done — usually better sent as insulated flex unless you have a mountain of it.

Data cable

CAT5, CAT6 and alarm cable use hair-fine strands with low copper density. Never worth hand-stripping — office strip-outs earn as insulated data cable by the bag and box.

Armoured (SWA) cable

Steel wire armouring around the cores makes hand-stripping slow miserable work, and the copper is a smaller share of the weight. Send it as it is — see below.

Before You Start

Three Things People Get Wrong

Armoured cable

Steel wire armouring is miserable to remove by hand and the copper inside is a smaller share of the weight. Send SWA as it is — it is graded on its own terms.

Marked cable

Stripping insulation off marked commercial or site cable does not remove the need for proof of ownership. If it came from a job, keep the paperwork, stripped or not.

Safety first

Only strip dead, disconnected cable you own. Never strip live cable, meter tails connected to a supply, or anything you are unsure about — no scrap value is worth that risk.

Do It Right

How to Strip Cable Safely

Confirm It Is Dead

Only strip disconnected cable you own. Never strip live cable, meter tails on a supply, or anything you are unsure about.

Score, Don't Slice

Run a sharp knife or automatic stripper along the sheath just deep enough to open it. Cutting into the copper itself loses metal and value.

Protect Yourself

Gloves and eye protection, good light, and a stable work surface. Old insulation can be brittle and sharp, and copper ends are unforgiving.

Never Burn It Off

Burning insulation off cable is illegal and the fumes are highly toxic. Burnt copper also grades worse. If you were considering it — don't.

Keep It Separate

Bag stripped bright wire on its own. Mixing it back in with insulated cable means the whole lot gets graded as insulated.

When in Doubt, Ask First

Send us photos before you start and we will tell you whether your specific cable is worth the effort — it takes a minute and can save an evening.

FAQs

Stripping FAQs

Is stripped copper wire worth more than insulated cable?

Per kilo, yes — clean bright wire is a top grade. Whether stripping pays depends on cable thickness, quantity and your time.

Do you accept unstripped cable?

Yes — most cable we collect is unstripped. It is assessed by type: household, armoured, flex or data. See our cable guide for the differences.

Should I strip armoured cable?

Usually not by hand — the steel armouring is slow to remove and the copper is a smaller share of the weight. Send SWA as it is.

Is it illegal to burn cable to strip it?

Yes — burning off insulation is illegal and the fumes are highly toxic. Burnt copper also grades worse, so it costs you twice.

What tools do I need to strip cable?

A sharp knife or an automatic wire stripper, plus gloves and eye protection. Score the sheath rather than slicing through to the copper.

Will you take half-stripped cable?

Yes. Partly stripped loads are graded on what they are — just keep the clean stripped wire bagged separately from the insulated remainder.

Keep Reading

What Is 98 Copper?Merchant grades explained: what makes the cut.

Scrap Copper GuideCopper types, grades and recycling value.

All Blog ArticlesTips, prices and collection advice.

Got Cable To Shift?

Stripped or not — send photos and your postcode and we will grade it and arrange a collection.

Request a Collection Call 07793 020266

Call now 07793 020266