Wire we buy / Bare copper
Bare copper wire and grounding buyers in Virginia
Bare copper is the one wire category where weight is a legitimate first question — but it is still a wire product, and a spool that is still on its factory put-up is worth more than a bucket of offcuts.
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Grounding and bonding work consumes bare copper in short runs: ground grids, electrode conductors, bonding jumpers, counterpoise and lightning protection. The surplus is usually small and dense, which makes it one of the easier lots to ship and one of the easier lots to misdescribe.
What we review
- Bare soft or hard-drawn copper in #14 through 4/0 and larger, solid or stranded.
- Green insulated grounding conductors on original spools or reels.
- Grounding electrode conductors and bonding jumpers cut to length but still bundled and labelled.
- Bare copper braid and grounding strip where quantity is meaningful.
- Copper tape and bar are outside scope — this is a wire and cable service.
Put-up versus offcuts
A factory spool of #2 bare copper with the tag intact is a wire product that another contractor can use for a grounding electrode conductor. A five-gallon bucket of mixed lengths is a weight-based lot. Both can be submitted; they should not be mixed in one description, because the review treats them differently.
Green insulated grounding is its own category
Insulated green grounding wire is not bare copper. It has a jacket, a voltage rating and a size, and it is reviewed like other building wire. If a pallet mixes bare and green, separate them before photographing.
Oxidation is normal, corrosion is not
Bare copper darkens in air, and that discolouration is expected. What matters is whether the conductor has been exposed to something that attacked it — pool chemical storage, fertilizer, salt, or years of standing water. Mention the storage location if it was unusual.
Questions sellers ask
Questions about this material
Do you buy bare copper by weight?
Weight is part of the review for offcut lots and is a cross-check for spooled material. Gauge, temper and whether the spool is intact still matter, because usable grounding wire is not the same product as mixed scrap lengths.
Is green insulated grounding wire included here?
It is reviewed, but as insulated building wire rather than bare copper. List it separately with its size and voltage rating.
Can bare copper that has turned dark be submitted?
Yes. Surface oxidation is normal and expected. Describe any unusual storage exposure so the review can tell ordinary discolouration from corrosion.
Keep reading
Quote request
Sell your surplus wire — request a quote
Describe the lot as it actually sits. Photos of the reel tag and jacket print do more than any description, and mixed or unidentified cable can still be submitted for review.
Submitting Bare copper wire and grounding in Virginia for review.