# Copper wire prices!!



## sparky1423 (Sep 18, 2010)

I am getting nervous about these gas prices. Gas goes up....copper goes up! Few years ago, the highest price I saw for 250' 14-2 was $54. Lately, it's been hovering around $46. I can't imagine what the price will be if gas gets near $6 a gallon. Thinking about kicking my wife's car out of the garage and ordering a few pallets. Anyone share my concerns?

"Doomsday Prepper for the EC"


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

sparky1423 said:


> I am getting nervous about these gas prices. Gas goes up....copper goes up! Few years ago, the highest price I saw for 250' 14-2 was $54. Lately, it's been hovering around $46. I can't imagine what the price will be if gas gets near $6 a gallon. Thinking about kicking my wife's car out of the garage and ordering a few pallets. Anyone share my concerns?
> 
> "Doomsday Prepper for the EC"



Not really. You can't control costs. Just try to plan for it as best you can.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

sparky1423 said:


> I am getting nervous about these gas prices. Gas goes up....copper goes up! Few years ago, the highest price I saw for 250' 14-2 was $54. Lately, it's been hovering around $46. I can't imagine what the price will be if gas gets near $6 a gallon. Thinking about kicking my wife's car out of the garage and ordering a few pallets. Anyone share my concerns?
> 
> "Doomsday Prepper for the EC"


You are better off buying 1,000 ' rolls to save some bucks.


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## electricalwiz (Mar 12, 2011)

around me 4 of the 250' rolls are the same as 1 1,000 foot roll


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## rexowner (Apr 12, 2008)

electricalwiz said:


> around me 4 of the 250' rolls are the same as 1 1,000 foot roll


Same here. Less scrap is the reason to go with 1000'.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

electricalwiz said:


> around me 4 of the 250' rolls are the same as 1 1,000 foot roll


Yes but you are not throwing out the end of a roll 4 times every 1,000 feet


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## Cletis (Aug 20, 2010)

*Stock*

Just stock up now and buy a few skids :thumbup:


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## electricalwiz (Mar 12, 2011)

HARRY304E said:


> Yes but you are not throwing out the end of a roll 4 times every 1,000 feet


 
I dont really have any waste from the 250 rolls. I pull all of my homeruns first then receps and lights. So the small peices I would use for my light whips. Plus I hate carrying the 1000 reals


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

electricalwiz said:


> I dont really have any waste from the 250 rolls. I pull all of my homeruns first then receps and lights. So the small peices I would use for my light whips. Plus I hate carrying the 1000 reals



I agree they are a pain to carry around.


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## darren79 (Dec 20, 2011)

sparky1423 said:


> I am getting nervous about these gas prices. Gas goes up....copper goes up! Few years ago, the highest price I saw for 250' 14-2 was $54. Lately, it's been hovering around $46. I can't imagine what the price will be if gas gets near $6 a gallon. Thinking about kicking my wife's car out of the garage and ordering a few pallets. Anyone share my concerns?
> 
> "Doomsday Prepper for the EC"



Wow I would gladly pay $54 for 250' of 14/2. Home Depot in Canada has a 65' roll of 14/2 for $45.


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## french connection!! (Dec 13, 2007)

$ 384 + taxes for 500 ' of # 4 THHN today


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## sparky1423 (Sep 18, 2010)

I like to stay with the 250s, I'm an one man operation...it's tough lugging around those 1000 foot reels, BTW Home Depot is doing the same 5% off all commercial purchases to compete with Lowes, sometimes have to remind the cashier.


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## amptech (Sep 21, 2007)

This weekend I paid $62 for 250' of 12-2. It was Cerro and handles like crap after using Romex Simpul. Simpul is currently running $66 per 250' but I wasn't driving 20 miles to save $4 a roll. 1000' reels are $280. They are charging for the plastic spool now. I just wired a house using 3000' of 12-2 on 250' coils and had less than 40 feet of scrap pieces.


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## kaboler (Dec 1, 2010)

Do you guys get a cheaper price for THWN than RW? Some suppliers do, some suppliers don't.

And if I waste more than 10' on a 250m roll, I'd be really suprised.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

A 500' roll on a spool is $122 ($128 inc tax) here and is the way to go, IMO. I would never buy romex that wasn't on a spool and these are cheap, easy to carry, easy to use and I can get them anywhere I'm working from 7AM-10PM. They're cheap right now so I usually buy one or two extra rolls when I'm in and have a stock pile in the garage.


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## FCR1988 (Jul 10, 2011)

a 250' roll is around $65 here from the supply house, $48 with our discount.


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

apprentices must love the price of CU these days!!!!:yes:


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

A 1000' roll of 14/2 NM is to heavy to use?


Don't tell the guys I work with, most of them keep 1000' rolls of 12/2 and 12/3 MC on their trucks.


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

I don't worry about stockpiling copper because of the market. There's other precious metals to invest in.

From the time of my bid until the time of purchase it has never been over 90 days and I have never seen a price increase of over 10% in that time. I am not gonna waste the time, money, and effort to stockpile it. 

There was a guy once who was always coming up with crazy business ideas over at EKR. He was stockpiling his 25 most common residential items and buying them by the pallet, cheap. After storage fees, and labor, it couldn't have been worth it. Even with his illegal helpers and his parolee helpers he couldn't make it in business. 

Remember, it doesn't matter what the material costs. You're not paying for it.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

knowshorts said:


> I don't worry about stockpiling copper because of the market. There's other precious metals to invest in.
> 
> From the time of my bid until the time of purchase it has never been over 90 days and I have never seen a price increase of over 10% in that time. I am not gonna waste the time, money, and effort to stockpile it.
> 
> ...



Not to dispute what your sayin here, I agree mostly, but.... One time doing a Little Ceasar's back in the early eighty's sometime, the copper price for the 350's feeders doubled between submitted bid and purchase time (about 4 weeks). That spike cost me about 3k. Ever since I always put in a little contract clause in any commodity heavy proposal. Every thing I ever learned in this business, I had to learn the hard way it seems....


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

If there is gonna be bigger wire, I do the same thing. When I get in, I bust my ass so I can at least order the big stuff.


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

Oil is down pretty hard to day, China growth is slowing, worries about Europe slowing.

IMO, I don't think copper will skyrocket just now. I've been wrong before.


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## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

Getting prices back in today for a large wire order. 
10 miles total from #12-600. 

Price increase tomorrow is the word from the factories.


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

walkerj said:


> Price increase tomorrow is the word from the factories.


Isn't that what they always say? :laughing:


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## MarkyMark (Jan 31, 2009)

Hedge against copper wire price increases by investing the same amount in copper futures. :thumbsup:

I actually wonder if any large electrical companies really do this. I know airlines use hedging with fuel, and several other industries do this as well. It wouldn't surprise me.


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

MarkyMark said:


> Hedge against copper wire price increases by investing the same amount in copper futures. :thumbsup:
> 
> I actually wonder if any large electrical companies really do this. I know airlines use hedging with fuel, and several other industries do this as well. It wouldn't surprise me.


Do you have a futures account?


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## RGH (Sep 12, 2011)

I don't worry about it...what can we do about it?...nothing but adjust our prices...spending 1 or 2 thousand dollars to buy/hold inventory to save a few bucks is silly to me...if your a big contractor doing large projects running thousands of feet... see your point...but they are in the same boat as other EC's...do you buy and hold $30k in inventory to save/maybe save $$ a on a job....I rather use my crystal ball on the lotto numbers:thumbsup:


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## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

hardworkingstiff said:


> Isn't that what they always say? :laughing:


I will be getting a quote from another supplier tomorrow that was late today. 
I secured price today. 
I talked #2 down to #1's price. 

I will let you guys know the % difference when I get the last quote tomorrow after 'price increase'


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## ceb58 (Feb 14, 2009)

1000ft- 12-2 in Slowes today $300.00


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Four 250's is almost the same price as a 1k'.

I would rather have 4 coils, especially for pulling homeruns, rather than 1.


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## Davethewave (Jan 6, 2012)

Look to Wall Street to hedge your bids.. I have found that when copper prices rise rapidly on Wall St. that the wire prices are 4-6 weeks behind. If I have a lot of roughs on my plate I will stock up and make money. You have to watch Wall St. because they control the markets and rob everyone that has to work for a living.


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## Teaspoon (Jan 10, 2009)

ceb58 said:


> 1000ft- 12-2 in Slowes today $300.00


I bought (2) 1000' spools Yesterday at lowes for $287.00 -5%
one supply house was at 329.00. another at 288.40 Net


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## Clarky (Sep 25, 2011)

My wholesaler actually said the 1'000 ft. rolls cost more, they charge you for the roll. I still shop locally only and home despot is not local!!!!


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