Cu mix, tinned and burnt copper: differences when selling scrap copper
Cu mix, tinned and burnt copper: differences when selling scrap copper
The price you get for scrap copper depends mainly on whether the copper is bare and how clean it is. In the WIP price list as of 13 November 2026, bright copper wire (Millberry) is €10.00 per kg, Cu MIX, i.e. burnt and tinned bare copper, is €9.60 per kg, and insulated copper cable is €0.50 to €4.00 per kg of cable depending on metal content. The difference between bright and tinned or burnt copper is small; the difference between bare copper and cable is more than double.
Scrap copper prices by category
In the WIP price list we checked on 13 November 2026, the copper items are:
| Price list item | Description in the price list | Price per kg |
|---|---|---|
| Cu drôt nový – Millberry | New copper wire | €10.00 |
| Cu MIX | Burnt and tinned copper, in pieces | €9.60 |
| Cu káble 60 % | Copper cable with 60 % metal content | €4.00 |
| Cu káble 50 % | Copper cable with 50 % metal content | €3.50 |
| Cu káble 40 % | Copper cable with 40 % metal content | €3.00 |
| Cu káble 30 % | Copper cable with 30 % metal content | €2.00 |
| Cu káble 20 % | Copper cable with 20 % metal content | €1.00 |
| Cu káble 10 % | Copper cable with 10 % metal content | €0.50 |
Prices move with the copper price on the exchange, so check the current price list before you bring material in. The final grading is decided by the buyer when inspecting the material.
The table shows three groups. Bare bright wire gets the highest price. Just below it is Cu MIX, which covers bare copper that is not bright or has a coating. The third group is insulated cable, where you are also paying for the insulation: a kilogram of cable is not a kilogram of copper. How the metal percentage of a cable is determined is explained in the article Cable buying in Bratislava: how much you get per kilogram.
How to tell the copper grades apart
Bright copper (Millberry)
Bare solid wire with no insulation, coating or oxidation, shiny and copper-coloured. For an electrician it comes mainly from mechanically stripping the solid cores of CYKY and CY cables. The detailed conditions of this grade, including the minimum wire thickness, are covered in the article Millberry copper wire: what it is and how to sell it.
Tinned copper
Copper with a thin layer of tin on the surface. It is silvery or dull grey, not copper-coloured. When you scratch it with a knife or cut it, the cross-section shows copper colour. That distinguishes it from aluminium, which is grey in the cut too, and from tinned steel, which a magnet will pick up.
In electrical installations you most often find tinned copper in:
- copper crimp cable lugs and connectors,
- tinned copper busbars and bus strips from distribution boards,
- fine tinned strands from some flexible and control cables,
- soldered wire ends and soldered joints.
Tin is an impurity that has to be removed when copper is remelted, which is why tinned copper is cheaper than bright copper.
Burnt and oxidised copper
Copper that has been through fire or lain outdoors for a long time. It is dark, brownish-black, sometimes with a greenish tinge, often dull and brittle. Typical examples are copper from a fire site, bare earthing conductors from old buildings, or copper that has sat in the rain for years. The WIP price list calls it "opálovaná meď" (burnt copper) and it belongs to Cu MIX.
Note the difference between copper that burnt in a fire and cables someone burnt on purpose. Burning cables to remove the insulation is prohibited, and burning PVC releases harmful substances. The copper is also left brittle, so bright wire turns into cheaper Cu MIX.
Copper in pieces
The word "kusová" (in pieces) in the Cu MIX description means bare copper in pieces, not insulated copper. The WIP price list does not have separate items for copper pipes, sheets, strips or busbars. If you have a larger quantity, check the grading in advance with the WIP cable buying point (káblovňa) in Bratislava on +421 911 829 999.
Not sure which grade your copper is? Compare the copper items in the current price list and ask in advance about borderline cases.
Why the gap between Millberry and Cu MIX is so small
In the current price list the difference is €0.40 per kg, or 4 %. Tinned and burnt copper is still almost pure metal: the tin is only a thin layer and oxidation affects the surface. For the buyer, however, bright wire is a cleaner raw material with less waste in processing, so it is priced higher.
The much bigger step is between bare copper and cable. A kilogram of Cu MIX is €9.60, a kilogram of cable with 60 % metal €4.00. For a standard CYKY 3×2.5 with roughly 47 % copper (the calculation is in the article How much copper is in a CYKY cable), that is the 40 % category at €3.00.
Price per kg of copper contained in the cable = price per kg of cable ÷ copper share
CYKY 3×2.5 (approx. 47 % Cu), 40 % group: €3.00 ÷ 0.47 = approx. €6.38 per kg of copper
Cu MIX: €9.60 per kg of copper
Millberry: €10.00 per kg of copper
So for this cable type you get roughly a third less per kilogram of copper in the insulation than for burnt or tinned bare copper. Whether stripping cables pays off is discussed in the article Cable stripping: when it pays and when it doesn't.
Example: what mixing copper costs you (illustrative)
Imagine that after a job you have 30 kg of bright wire from stripped CYKY and 10 kg of tinned lugs, connectors and busbars from a distribution board.
Separated:
Millberry 30 kg × €10.00 = €300.00
Cu MIX 10 kg × €9.60 = €96.00
total €396.00
Mixed in one bag (all as Cu MIX):
Cu MIX 40 kg × €9.60 = €384.00
Difference: €12.00
If you also put insulated cable offcuts into the same bag, the buyer has to re-sort the material or may grade the whole batch lower. The calculation is illustrative, prices are from the WIP price list as of 13 November 2026, and the final grading is decided by the buyer. It shows that the copper from a single job is not about large sums, but with regular collection the difference adds up.
How to separate copper in the workshop and on site
- Keep three containers: bright wire, other bare copper (tinned, burnt, oxidised) and insulated cable. Keep a fourth for brass and aluminium.
- Put stripped copper straight into a dry container. Bright wire darkens in the rain within a few weeks and ends up as Cu MIX.
- Cut tinned lugs and connectors off the bright wire and put them with the other bare copper.
- Separate brass. Terminals and some busbars are brass; they are yellower than copper and are bought separately, in the WIP price list as new brass ("mosadz nová") at €4.20 per kg.
- Remove steel with a magnet. Screws, washers and tinned steel parts do not belong with copper.
- Sort insulated cable by cross-section. Thicker cores have a higher copper share and go into a higher group. The procedure is described in the article on sorting cables on a construction site.
Do you have a larger quantity of copper or cables from installations? For larger volumes a container or collection can be arranged.
Common mistakes
- Tinned strands in bright wire. Even a small amount lowers the grading of the whole batch.
- Burning insulation. It is prohibited and turns bright wire into burnt copper.
- Bare copper stored outdoors. Oxidation drops it from Millberry to Cu MIX.
- Brass and steel mixed with copper. They are not extra weight but contamination.
- Expecting the exchange price. The buying price for copper is always lower than the copper price on the LME, because the buyer pays for transport, processing and the risk of price swings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the buying price of copper per kilogram?
According to the WIP price list as of 13 November 2026, bright Millberry wire is €10.00 per kg, Cu MIX €9.60 per kg and copper cables €0.50 to €4.00 per kg depending on metal content. Current prices are in the price list.
What is Cu mix?
Bare copper in pieces that does not meet the conditions for bright wire. The WIP price list describes it as burnt and tinned copper in pieces.
Does tinned copper count as Millberry?
No. Millberry is bare copper without any coating. Tinned wire, lugs and busbars belong to Cu MIX.
How can I tell if copper is tinned?
Tinned copper is silvery on the surface, copper-coloured in the cut or when scratched, and a magnet does not pick it up. Aluminium is grey in the cut too and much lighter.
Why is burnt copper cheaper?
It has oxides and residues of burnt insulation on the surface, it is often brittle and produces more waste when remelted. That is why the buyer grades it as Cu MIX, not as bright wire.
Conclusion
When you sell copper, what matters first is whether it is bare, and only then how clean it is. Bright Millberry wire and Cu MIX, i.e. tinned and burnt copper, differ by only €0.40 per kg in the WIP price list as of 13 November 2026, while insulated copper is considerably cheaper. So separate bright wire from tinned and burnt pieces, bare copper from cables, and copper from brass and steel. The relationship between buying prices and the exchange price of copper is covered in a separate article on the LME copper price.
Have you collected copper and want to know what you'll get for it? We grade the material on inspection at the WIP cable buying point (káblovňa) in Bratislava, phone +421 911 829 999.
Cover photo: Asurnipal, Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
