Realcent.org

Based on average price per pound and the added labor/time involved how should steel/copper BX be scrapped? (roughly 80-100 lbs)

**--as is?

**--pull the wire out and sell it as light iron + insulated wire?

**--pull the wire out, strip it and sell it as light iron + copper?

as is

Take it apart and scavenge everything!!! The middle item I believe is an aluminum shell and worth more separated. I did about 60lbs of separating of that and its well worth it. You go from getting one price to three prices copper/steel/aluminum and you'll make better money. Me personally I separate everything. All the best either way.

Well here is a simple way to find out if it's worth your time. find out what gauge the wire is. Guess on how many feet you have. Times the total footage times 3 (3 conductor). Now go to this table and figure out how much clean copper you will end up with (it takes 50 feet of clean 12gauge wire to make a pound).

You can weigh up a 10 foot section of the steel jacket to get an idea of what it weighs alone, but it won't be much.

http://www.interfacebus.com/Copper_Wire_AWG_SIze.html

If it is really steel outer coating, I'd sell it as is and get what ever you can for it. It is very hard to separate.

If the outer coating is aluminum, it is much easier to separate. The inner wire has a plastic wrap between the wires and the outer coating and the inner wires will pull right out of the outer coating. If you have long pieces, break the outer coating into smaller pieces by bending it tightly together. Then cut the outer coating and pull the wires out.

Good luck.

Seperate it then strip it and make all you can out of it! In todays world every CENT counts.