Copper prices

[Oggie]

I'm running a line from our new well house to the power pole. The line to the old well house is 8-3 w/ground. I priced new wire and it would be $150 for about 85 feet. Zoinks! I have some left over 6 gauge wire that I'll use instead.

I had heard that people were stealing copper wire and other metal because the price has gone up. I didn't realize it was that high. I'll still need to buy electrical wire for the interior of the well house and one of our barns.

[gccrook]

That seems cheap. I just bought some 6/3 and it was $2.33/ft. It has more than doubled in the last year.

[iocane]

A few years ago a myth got going that commodities like copper were bad investments. So many stupid rich people sold there stocks. Then some chinese companies loaded with cash went on a copper mine buying spree. With much of the world excess copper suplly now locked up for certain manufacturers, everyone else is in a bidding war for whats left.

[mightybooboo]

In Jan of 03 was about 75 cents/lb.,now 3.44/lb.Its dropped off its high,Im seeing about 4.20 for a high,but last three months trading in the 3.40 or so range.
Broad figures from looking at a chart.

BooBoo

[CatsPaw]

Out of the estimated copper content of earth, approx. 1/3 is in use [in houses,t.v.s, etc.], aprox. 1/3 is in land fills, and aprox. 1/3 is still in the ground.

Yep, that copper is high. A couple of weeks ago a lady hired me to run two 60 amp circuts to a new heat pump she was having installed. The breaker box was located in her garage and the heat pump was located on the opposite end of the house. I had to run two 6/2 with ground circuits which totaled 100' each (including makeup in H/pump) at $2.13 a foot. A little bit of pvc pipeing, a couple 60 amp disconnects along with Liquid tite flex and fittings. The labor wasn't very long but by the time I added up the price of the copper, other material along with my labor it ended up costing her about $630.buckaroos. I thought I was going to have to give the old lady that mouth-to-mouth stuff when I saw her bottom jaw about hit the floor.

[seedspreader]

In an electronic world, copper won't ever be worthless...

[sisterpine]

kind of makes me wonder about all the copper mines that shut down because copper went below 1.00 per pound back in 1983 or so...too bad they did not just wait it out. course it was the unions who had to insist on more pay that really killed them i think.