Building Wire
THHN, THWN, THWN-2, XHHW and XHHW-2 branch-circuit and feeder wire.
We buy surplus copper wire in Illinois
Insulated copper building wire, bare copper, grounding conductors and copper cable — on full or partial reels, spools and coils, from anywhere in Illinois.
Copper is the part that holds value
Copper conductor keeps most of its worth whether it is still on a factory reel or sitting in a coil at the back of a connex. That is why unused copper wire is one of the few surplus materials that is genuinely worth the paperwork: insulation, jacket and labour are replaceable, the metal is not.
We buy insulated copper building wire, bare copper conductor, grounding wire and copper cable in sizes from #14 through 1000 MCM. Single conductor and multi-conductor, solid and stranded, full reels and partials with footage remaining.
What we look at first
The reel tag tells us the construction and the footage; the jacket legend confirms it. If the tag is missing, we look at the conductor: solid or stranded, the count of strands, the insulation type and the printed legend. A tape measure across the copper and a photo of the cut end usually settles the size.
Colour matters less than construction, but it does matter at the margin: black, red, blue and white phase colours move quickly, green grounding wire moves with grounding work, and odd colours sit longer. We will still quote them.
Specs
Copper products and typical sizes
Sizes we see most often on Illinois jobs. If yours is not listed, it is still worth sending — odd sizes are priced individually.
| Product | Typical construction | Sizes | Voltage |
|---|---|---|---|
| THHN / THWN-2 | Stranded or solid copper, PVC/nylon | #14 – 1000 MCM | 600 V |
| XHHW / XHHW-2 | Copper, XLPE insulation | #14 – 1000 MCM | 600 V |
| Bare copper | Soft-drawn, solid or stranded | #14 – 500 MCM | — |
| Grounding wire | Green THHN or XHHW copper | #14 – 4/0 | 600 V |
| Copper SER / SEU | Multi-conductor service cable | #6 – 4/0 | 600 V |
| Welding cable | Copper rope lay, EPDM jacket | #6 – 4/0 | 600 V |
Condition & paperwork
What condition we can work with
New surplus and unused material first; partial and used reels case by case.
Sealed reels with factory tags are the simplest: we can usually quote from photos alone. Open reels with footage remaining are fine as long as the construction is identifiable and the wire has been stored indoors or under cover.
Wire that has been pulled through conduit, coiled on the ground or stored outdoors without a jacket is reviewed individually. We do not promise to buy every reel regardless of condition, and we will tell you plainly when a load is not a fit.
Tell us about packaging — wooden reel, metal reel, spool, coil or carton — and how it is loaded. Copper is heavy, and a 4/0 reel that cannot be lifted safely changes the logistics.
Helpful numbers
Call +1 (614) 715-3047 with the reel tag in front of you. If the tag is gone, a tape measure and a photo of the cut end gets us close.
Questions
Copper wire questions
Do you buy bare copper wire as well as insulated?
Yes. Bare copper conductor, grounding electrode conductor and green-insulated grounding wire are all reviewed. Bare copper is priced on the metal itself, so clean, dry, uncontaminated conductor is easier to quote than painted or corroded material.
How do you price partial reels?
We estimate the remaining footage from the tag, the reel diameter and the wrap count, then price on that basis. A reel with 200 feet left is priced as 200 feet, not as a full reel — which is why an honest footage estimate helps both sides.
Can I mix copper and aluminum in one request?
Yes. List both and note which reels are which, or attach separate photos. Mixed metal loads are common at plant closeouts and distributors, and we price each group separately.
Related
Other wire we buy
Loads are often mixed. If your reels span more than one category, send the whole list in one request.
Bare Copper & Grounding
Bare copper, grounding electrode conductors and green grounding wire.
Specialty & Flexible Cable
Welding cable, SOOW, communication, low-voltage and fire-alarm cable.
Quote
Quote your copper wire
We review every request and reply with a quote or the questions that would let us price it.
Ready to move that surplus wire?
Send the wire type, footage or reel count, and a few photos. We review every request and reply with a quote or a request for more detail.