Scrap buyers, Delhi NCR
Key points
- Cable is quoted per kilo of cable but priced on the copper inside it.
- Recovery ranges from about 12% on thin control cable to 35%+ on heavy single-core.
- Ask the buyer what recovery percentage they assumed — it is checkable in five minutes.
- Burning is illegal, dangerous, and lowers the copper grade. It never pays.
Cable pricing confuses more sellers than any other scrap category, and the reason is a simple mismatch: the cable is weighed whole, but the value is in the copper inside. Everything else — PVC, armour, jelly, tape, filler — is either worthless or costs money to separate.
The recovery percentage
Every cable quote contains an implicit assumption about how much copper will come out. Take a cable worth ₹250 a kilo when copper is at ₹680: the buyer is assuming roughly 37% recovery before processing costs and margin.
Get that assumption wrong in the buyer's favour and you lose real money. Get it wrong in yours and no buyer will honour the quote once they see the cable. Which is why the useful question is not "what rate do you pay for cable" but "what recovery are you assuming on this cable".
Typical recovery by cable type
| Cable type | Approx. copper recovery | Indicative rate |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy single-core, 35 sq mm+ | 50–65% | ₹340 – 430/kg |
| PVC flexible / house wire | 45–60% | ₹300 – 430/kg |
| Armoured LT power, 16 sq mm+ | 28–38% | ₹230 – 420/kg |
| Armoured LT power, 4–16 sq mm | 22–30% | ₹180 – 260/kg |
| Control / instrumentation | 12–20% | ₹120 – 200/kg |
| Jelly-filled telecom | 10–18% | ₹95 – 165/kg |
| Aluminium conductor cable | 35–50% (aluminium) | ₹95 – 135/kg |
Checking the assumption yourself
This takes five minutes and it settles the question permanently.
- Cut one metre of the cable.
- Weigh it.
- Strip it fully and weigh the copper alone.
- Divide. That is your recovery percentage.
Multiply the copper rate for that grade by your recovery figure and you have the theoretical maximum. A fair buyer's quote sits somewhat below it — processing labour, armour disposal and margin are real costs — but you now know whether "somewhat below" means 15% or 45%.
Should you strip it yourself?
It depends entirely on the cable.
Worth it: heavy single-core cable, where one pass of a knife down the length releases a solid conductor in seconds. Stripped copper earns the full No. 1 or bright rate, and the labour per kilo recovered is low.
Rarely worth it: thin multi-core and control cable. Dozens of tiny conductors, each individually insulated, inside an outer sheath and often armour. The hours involved exceed the gain unless you have a stripping machine.
If you are handling cable regularly, a mechanical stripper pays for itself quickly. For a one-off clearance, sell it whole.
Why burning always loses money
Burning insulation off cable is the single most persistent bad practice in this trade, and it fails on every dimension at once.
- It is illegal. Open burning of PVC and cable waste is an offence under India's air pollution and waste management rules.
- It is genuinely dangerous. Burning PVC releases hydrogen chloride and dioxins. The person standing over the fire receives the highest dose.
- It lowers the copper grade. Heat oxidises the surface. Burnt copper is visibly darkened, grades below No. 2, and is discounted accordingly by every legitimate buyer.
- It loses weight. Thin conductors partly oxidise away entirely.
Burnt cable reliably fetches less than the same cable sold whole. The practice survives on the assumption that removing the insulation must be worth something — but the buyer was never paying for the insulation in the first place.
Questions
Why do buyers quote cable per kilo instead of per kilo of copper?
Because the cable is what gets weighed at your site. Quoting on recovered copper would mean paying you after processing, which nobody wants. The per-kilo cable rate simply bundles the recovery assumption into one number — which is why asking what that assumption is matters.
Is it legal to burn cable to recover copper?
No. Open burning of cable and PVC waste is prohibited under India's air pollution and waste management rules, and it is also harmful to anyone nearby. It also reduces what you are paid, so there is no argument for it on any grounds.
How much copper is in armoured cable?
Typically 22–38% by weight for LT power cable, rising with conductor size. A metre of your specific cable, stripped and weighed, gives you the exact figure in five minutes.
Do you buy aluminium conductor cable?
Yes, at roughly a third of the copper equivalent. Aluminium under oxidation can look like copper, so the conductor is checked by cutting an end before quoting — a check that protects both sides.
