What happens to your wire after pickup

First, it is graded

Every reel is checked against its tag: type, size, footage and condition. Sealed reels with intact tags go one way. Partial reels are measured and go another. Anything that cannot be identified is set aside.

This is the stage where a missing tag costs money, and why we ask for tag photos before a pickup rather than after.

Then it is prepared for resale

Partial reels are re-reeled or cut to standard lengths depending on the product. Cable with a damaged outer layer may be cut back to a clean section. Assemblies like MC and SER keep their identity because they are listed products, not loose conductor.

The result is stock that an electrical contractor or a plant can buy for a job, which is the whole point of buying surplus rather than scrap.

When it is recycled instead

Cable that cannot be identified, has a compromised jacket through the run, has been burnt or has been chopped into short lengths does not go back into service. It goes to a licensed recycler for copper and aluminum recovery.

We do not strip, burn or process cable ourselves, and nothing collected is landfilled if the metal can be recovered.

Why this matters to you

If your material is going back into service, it is priced as product. If it is going to a recycler, it is priced as material. Knowing which one you are likely to get is the difference between a realistic expectation and a disappointing number.