Scrap copper prices for plumbers
Every rip-out and re-pipe leaves behind copper tube, old cylinders and brass fittings. Sorted correctly, that "waste" is one of the highest-value scrap metals on the market. SCPT is an independent index — we don't buy metal, we help you find the yard paying the best rate near your job.
What plumbers typically scrap
Clean, unsoldered off-cuts of copper plumbing tube grade as high-value No. 1 copper.
Old hot-water cylinders. Strip the lagging and brass fittings to lift the grade and the price.
Valves, compression fittings and stopcocks. Lower than copper, but worth keeping separate.
Get the most for your copper
- 01Keep tube solder-free. Soldered joints drop clean tube down to No. 2 copper. Cut joints off where it's quick to do so.
- 02Separate brass from copper. Mixed loads get paid at the lower rate. Two buckets on the van saves money.
- 03Strip cylinders. Removing lagging and the brass boss can move a cylinder up a grade.
- 04Compare before you travel. Rates vary yard to yard and day to day. Check the index first.
Want the detail on each grade? Read our guides to No. 1 copper and No. 2 copper.
Compare yards near your next job
Enter a postcode and your travel radius to see which yards near the site pay the most for copper tube, cylinders and brass.
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