No. 1 copper
No. 1 copper is clean, unalloyed copper that isn't bright wire — most commonly clean copper tube and heavier solid copper. It must be free of solder, paint, fittings and any other attachments. It's the workhorse grade for plumbing off-cuts and clean solids.
QUALIFIES AS
- • Clean copper tube and pipe off-cuts
- • Heavy-gauge clean copper wire
- • Clean copper solids and busbar
- • Unalloyed, uncoated, minimal tarnish
DROPS TO NO. 2 IF
- • It has soldered joints
- • It's painted or coated
- • It still has brass fittings attached
- • It's heavily tarnished or oxidised
How to prepare it
Cut off soldered joints and remove brass fittings and valves where it's quick to do — each one left on pulls the load down to No. 2. Keep tube dry to limit tarnish, and don't mix it in with painted or coated copper. Clean, sorted tube is one of the easiest wins in the yard.
Cleaner than this? Stripped, shiny wire grades as bright & shiny copper. Dirtier? See No. 2 copper.
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