Copper content
How much copper is in Romex / NM-B?
About 65% of its weight is recoverable copper. Here's what that means for stripping, grading, and what your yard will pay.
What Romex / NM-B is
Also sold or searched as NM-B, non-metallic sheathed cable, 14/2 and 12/2 household wire. White/yellow/orange flat household cable, multiple solid conductors in a jacket. Old cloth-jacketed romex with tinned conductors runs closer to 48%.
How much copper is inside
The copper recovery rate is the share of a cable's total weight that is actual copper once the insulation and jacket are stripped away. For Romex / NM-B that's about 65%, and typically anywhere from 62% to 70% depending on gauge, age, and condition.
In round numbers: 100 lb of Romex / NM-B yields roughly 65 lb of bare copper. At an example #1 copper price of $3.90/lb that's about $254 of copper — but prices swing by region and by the week, so run it with the number your own yard pays.
Open the Copper Wire Yield calculator, pick "Romex / NM-B (indoor solid)" (or type your own recovery %), and enter your local prices to see the stripped-vs-as-is breakdown for your exact load.
Strip it or sell it as-is?
Verdict for Romex / NM-B: worth stripping with a machine — marginal by hand. Stripping only pays when the gap between the bare-copper price and the as-is (insulated) price beats the time it takes — and that gap scales with the recovery rate. At 65%, it is a judgement call that depends on your stripping speed. A machine tips it in your favor; a utility knife often does not.
To put a dollar figure on your own time, run it through the Strip or Sell calculator, which adds an hourly rate to the raw copper math.
How Romex / NM-B compares to other cable
Where Romex / NM-B sits against every other common cable type (its row is marked):
| Cable type | Recovery | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| MCM / feeder cable (250 MCM+) | ~88% | 85–94% |
| THHN — heavy gauge (4 AWG to 4/0) | ~84% | 80–90% |
| THHN — standard (8–16 AWG) | ~80% | 75–88% |
| Double-insulated power wire | ~75% | 70–80% |
| Romex / NM-B (indoor solid) ← this page | ~65% | 62–70% |
| Mixed #2 insulated wire | ~60% | 55–69% |
| AC / appliance whip wire | ~55% | 50–60% |
| Extension cords / SJ cord | ~42% | 35–48% |
| Cat5/Cat6 — solid bulk runs | ~42% | 35–50% |
| Cat5/Cat6 patch cords (stranded) | ~22% | 18–28% |
| MC/BX armored cable (copper inside) | ~30% | 25–35% |
| Christmas lights | ~20% | 15–25% |
Sources
- Sahd Metal Recycling: 65%
- Rockaway Recycling: 64–68% ICW
Recovery figures are cross-checked against at least two published yard references and kept at the conservative end of each range, so surprises land in your favor. Measuring a stripped sample of your own cable always beats a table.
Romex / NM-B: quick answers
How much copper is in Romex / NM-B?
About 65% of its weight — usually 62–70% depending on gauge and condition. So 100 lb of Romex / NM-B yields roughly 65 lb of bare copper once stripped.
Is Romex / NM-B worth stripping?
Worth stripping with a machine — marginal by hand. At a ~65% recovery rate, stripping is a close call that depends on how fast you strip — use a machine, not a knife. Run your own prices through the Strip or Sell calculator to be sure.
What copper grade does Romex / NM-B sell as?
#2 insulated as-is; #1 when stripped (solid core). Yards buy insulated wire as-is at a discounted "ICW" rate that already assumes an average recovery; stripping clean copper moves it up to a higher-paying bare-copper grade.
Price your own wire
Enter your yard's prices and see stripped vs as-is for this exact cable.