# copper prices.



## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

I took my monthly load of scrap copper and brass to the scrap yard yesterday. Not completly to my surprise the srap prices went down due to the economy. But my surprise was how much. last month i got 2.65 a lb. for #1 copper. this month it went down to 1.25 a lb. i checked online with my wholesaler and the price of copper is holding steady while scrap price has dropped more than half. since copper is a commodity im curious what you guys are paying for new and getting for scrap in your parts of the country.


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

The a$$ fell out here too. The price at the counter of copper has failed to fall with scrap. Our prices are very close to yours. I was going to take a load in the other day and found out the drop. Sort of makes me think the economic powers know people are going to be more diligent about scarap and are taking advantage of us in yet another way.

Heres one for you. The next time a hurricane is churning in the gulf watch what happens to scrap aluminum. historically it falls.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

You can thank the stock market crash for the drop in prices. I'll wait till it goes back up until I cash in.


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

Check the price of oil lately? Commodities are going downhill almost as quickly as stocks. If you've got the room I'd hold onto it. I doubt it will be hitting near $4.00/lb again anytime soon though.


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

Marlin said:


> Check the price of oil lately? Commodities are going downhill almost as quickly as stocks. If you've got the room I'd hold onto it. I doubt it will be hitting near $4.00/lb again anytime soon though.


 

well ive got room maybe ill just make that my supplimental 401k and not touch my copper pile until im 60. by then its probably gonna be 10.00 or 15.00/lb.:thumbsup:


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Steel went from $170/ton to $130, now it is $70 a ton. Unbelievable and the scrap metal yards are freaking out. This cuts out the flow of customers because now it's not even worth the effort with those numbers.

I sold a lot of my excess copper when it was highest, so I feel that was a good move at the time.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Copper pipe went down at my supply house, though not as much as scrap did.


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

Protech said:


> Copper pipe went down at my supply house, though not as much as scrap did.


It never works that way does it. Once prices go up they stay up, if production costs really do go down then the manufacturers just pocket the difference and get rich.


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

I didn't have time to take all my 3". Looks like I'll sit on it another coupla years.


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## Wethead (Oct 13, 2008)

Protech said:


> Copper pipe went down at my supply house, though not as much as scrap did.



That's what I am hoping to see everywhere, so many people stopped using copper because It got so expensive and the pex was flying everywhere, I love copper way better and I hope it all goes back to normal, doubt it will , but I can wish right......lol


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

It went down here as well. We scraped a ton of it from the shop last week, over 200 lbs of type 2. They told us it would have brought a lot of money during the summer but it didn't yeild much because of the stock market crazyness


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

The copper mining/manufacturers don't like the high prices. what happens is once it gets past a certain point, their traditional customers, mostly electronics makers, start looking at alternate materials. I can't remember the price point is, but the commodity price is higher than they want it to be. The miners don't set the price, it is set by the CBOT and other commodity markets. Actually it's set by the individual traders who are guessing demand is going up or down.


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