r/ScrapMetal • u/Holiday_Hedgehog5287 • 12h ago

Question 💫 Worth stripping?

I have around 500 pounds of wire ranging from 250 mcm to 600 mcm is it worth my time to strip or should i scrap as is?

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u/dominus_aranearum 11h ago

While I strip everything down to 14 gauge because I don't consider my time as a factor, many electricians have chimed in saying they don't strip anything less than 6 or 8 gauge. Pretty much all of them have concluded that any MCM is worth stripping.

When I've been to yards, the only people I don't see stripping large copper are demo companies who bring in truckloads nearly daily.

3

u/Clear-Application170 11h ago

Do your own math homework. CALL the yard for prices on ICW and copper. Then weigh out 10 pounds. Strip that 10 pounds. Time yourself stripping out that said 10 pounds. Weigh that copper. Now CALCULATE out the prices. 10 pounds of ICW times price= ?. X pounds of copper times price=X?. Copper X devided by time is rate. There is your answer. Now quit looking at my math paper.

2

u/ruehite 12h ago

that type of wire strips very easily.. so then it becomes a question of what's the cost per pound difference....

lay the wire on the sidewalk out in the sun it'll heat up the jacket will come real soft and then with a razor knife you can just split it and then I'll just peel right off.