Price of Copper

[Feelslikefar]

Read where the price of Copper is up 25% in 2021.
As metals go, Copper is not in the same cost frame of either Gold or Silver, but we use a lot more Copper
than the other ones.

The new EV cars use more than 80% more copper in those units than conventional Fossil fuel cars.

I remember showing up at many new house constructions to find the Heating/AC units stolen and a lot of the
wiring had been stripped.

Gold and silver may be more pricey, but it's usually not just laying around to be easily taken.

Wonder if we will start hearing about an uptick in stolen copper items as the price for scrap copper also rises?

 

[Paco Dennis]

We've been waiting for the price to return to it's former all time high, almost $4.80.

 

[fmdog44]

The reason thieves are stealing Catalytic converters.

 

[Feelslikefar]

As a side note, of the discovered copper taken out of the ground, over 2/3 is found in just 5 countries:
Chile, Australia, Peru, Mexico and the U.S.

 

[Purwell]

Traditionally in the UK the price of copper would drop just before Christmas as all the plumbers and electricians would be taking their scrap in.

 

[Manatee]

Copper theft has been a problem for decades. I remember a car dealership that was in an old building in West Palm Beach that had copper rain gutters. They ripped them off the building right on the main road.

 

[Jules]

Wonder if we will start hearing about an uptick in stolen copper items as the price for scrap copper also rises?

It’s been happening for decades. There needs to be a crack down on scrap dealers who accept it.

 

[horseless carriage]

The price of copper? Tell me about it, they cost us a fortune.

 

[squatting dog]

The reason thieves are stealing Catalytic converters.

The critical reason that people hear more and more about stolen catalytic converters is that these parts are moneymakers. They consist of platinum, rhodium, and palladium, all of which are precious metals. Because of this, a converter’s scrap value can yield well over $200 per piece, and some larger, rare converters can even fetch over $1000, based on the metal’s current scrap rate.

Since 1975, all automobiles have had to have a catalytic converter—however, some converters interest crooks more than others. For instance, trucks and SUVs are effortless to get under, which makes them an excellent target. The higher up your vehicle sits, the easier it is to steal the catalytic converter. And, usually a larger engine will have a larger converter with more metal content inside.

From 2019-2020, Los Angeles County reported a 400% increase in catalytic converter thefts. In the state of California, there was over an 85% increase in converter replacement service.

 

[bowmore]

All you need is a jack and a battery powered sawzall.