Copper scrap that is oxidised, tinned, soldered or lightly coated — roofing, old pipe with joints, burnt wire and mixed solids — with a nominal copper content around 94 to 96 per cent.
Copper scrap that is oxidised, tinned, soldered or lightly coated — roofing, old pipe with joints, burnt wire and mixed solids — with a nominal copper content around 94 to 96 per cent.
Cliff is the workhorse copper grade. It takes everything that is clearly copper but not clean enough for No. 1: soldered plumbing pipe, oxidised roofing and gutters, burnt insulated wire, tinned bus bar and unalloyed clippings with paint. The ReMA definition sets a nominal minimum copper content and excludes brass, bronze, excessively leaded material and non-metallic attachments.
Because the grade carries tin, lead and oxide, it must be refined before it can be made into wire. Fire refining in a reverberatory or anode furnace and electrolytic refining bring it back to cathode quality.
No. 2 copper is quoted as a discount to the exchange price in most markets. The biggest buyers are secondary smelters and refiners in China, India, Germany, Belgium, South Korea and Malaysia. Chinese purity requirements for recycled copper raw material have meant that lower-grade No. 2 lots are often pre-processed in Malaysia, Thailand or Japan before reaching China, or go to India instead.
Copper content is the whole argument. Buyers sample and assay, and lots carrying heavy solder, lead flashings or steel springs are penalised. Burnt wire with ash and insulation residue is bought on a recovery basis.
Code: ReMA Cliff (No. 2 copper)
The main importing countries for this grade — each links to the country page with its mills, smelters, price references and named firms.