Copper content
How much copper is in THHN wire?
About 80% of the weight is recoverable copper. Here's how much copper each common size holds, and what that means for stripping and what your yard will pay.
Identifying THHN wire
Also sold or searched as THHN/THWN-2 building wire, 14–6 AWG. Most common commercial wire. Solid recovery, easy machine stripping.
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 THHN wire that's about 80%, and typically anywhere from 75% to 88% depending on gauge, age, and condition.
In round numbers: 100 lb of THHN wire yields roughly 80 lb of bare copper. At an indicative #1 copper price of $4.70/lb (October 2026) that's about $376 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 "THHN — standard (8–16 AWG)" (or type your own recovery %), and enter your local prices to see the stripped-vs-as-is breakdown for your exact load.
Copper weight by size
THHN is a single insulated conductor, so its copper weight depends only on the gauge. Stranded wire carries about 2% more copper per foot than solid, because the strands spiral.
| Size | Copper in 500 ft spool | Copper in 1000 ft | Cable weight per 1000 ft | Copper share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 AWG solid | 6.2 lb | 12 lb | 15 lb | 83% |
| 14 AWG stranded | 6.3 lb | 13 lb | 16 lb | 79% |
| 12 AWG solid | 9.9 lb | 20 lb | 23 lb | 86% |
| 12 AWG stranded | 10 lb | 20 lb | 24 lb | 84% |
| 10 AWG solid | 16 lb | 31 lb | 37 lb | 85% |
| 10 AWG stranded | 16 lb | 32 lb | 39 lb | 82% |
| 8 AWG stranded | 25 lb | 50 lb | 63 lb | 79% |
| 6 AWG stranded | 41 lb | 81 lb | 95 lb | 85% |
Copper weights are the manufacturer’s published figures where one exists, otherwise computed from the nominal AWG cross-section of annealed copper (8.89 g/cm³), plus 2% for stranding. Where both exist they agree within 4%. Cable weights come from the spec sheets listed under Sources; copper share is copper divided by cable weight, so it’s the most you can recover by stripping.
Strip it or sell it as-is?
Verdict for THHN wire: almost always worth stripping. 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 80%, there is enough copper inside that stripping almost always clears more than selling it insulated.
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 it compares to other cable
Every common cable type, with this page's row 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) ← this page | ~80% | 75–88% |
| Double-insulated power wire | ~75% | 70–80% |
| Romex / NM-B (indoor solid) | ~65% | 60–73% |
| 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% | 35–58% |
| 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: 80% up to 4 ga
- H&C Metals: ~80% copper, 20% insulation
- Cerrowire THHN/THWN-2 data sheet, Rev 02/2026 (net weight per 1000 ft)
- Southwire SPEC 10000, SIMpull THHN/THWN-2 (copper and total weight, 8 and 6 AWG)
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.
THHN wire: quick answers
How much copper is in a 500 ft spool of 12 AWG THHN?
About 9.9 lb. That size carries 20 lb of copper per 1000 ft, and the whole cable weighs about 23 lb per 1000 ft, so roughly 86% of what you're holding is copper. The table above has every common size.
Which size has the most copper per pound?
12 AWG solid, at about 86% copper by weight; 14 AWG stranded is the lowest at about 79%. The share depends on how much insulation and jacket each size carries around its copper, so when you're buying or sorting by the pound, the higher-share sizes are worth more per pound of cable.
Is it worth stripping THHN wire?
Almost always worth stripping. The math is the bare-copper premium over the insulated price, times the copper you get back (79–86% of the weight here, depending on size), against the hours it takes. The Strip or Sell calculator runs it with your yard's prices and your hourly rate.
How do yards grade THHN wire?
#1 insulated when stripped. 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.
Does solid or stranded THHN pay more?
Per pound of copper they are close: both strip down to clean, unalloyed copper. Solid is faster to strip and carries slightly less insulation per pound, and some yards grade fine-stranded copper a notch below solid, so ask your yard before you strip a big load of stranded wire.
Price your own wire
Enter your yard's prices and see stripped vs as-is for this exact cable.