Calculate how much copper is worth from its weight in pounds, kg or ounces and your price per pound, or find the cost per pound from what you paid.

Use your scrap yard’s or supplier’s current price per pound; copper prices change daily and differ by grade.

Optional settings

Cost Per Pound of Copper Formula

The calculator uses total cost, total copper weight, and cost per pound. If the weight is entered in kilograms or ounces, it first converts the weight to pounds.

CPP = TC / Wlb
  • CPP = cost per pound of copper, in dollars per pound
  • TC = total cost of copper, in dollars
  • Wlb = total weight of copper, converted to pounds

To calculate total cost, the formula is rearranged as:

TC = CPP × Wlb

To calculate total weight in pounds, the formula is rearranged as:

Wlb = TC / CPP

For unit conversion, the calculator uses:

Wlb = W × CF
  • W = weight entered in the selected unit
  • CF = conversion factor to pounds
  • lb uses a conversion factor of 1
  • kg uses the exact reciprocal of 0.45359237 (approximately 2.20462262)
  • oz uses a conversion factor of 0.0625

Select Copper value, Cost per pound, or Weight for a dollar amount, enter the shown values, then select Calculate. The weight solve converts pounds to the selected result unit.

Copper Weight Conversion Reference

Unit Equivalent in Pounds Use in the Calculator
1 pound 1 lb Use when your copper weight is already in pounds.
1 kilogram Approximately 2.20462262 lb Use for metric weights.
1 ounce 0.0625 lb Use for small copper quantities.

Common Copper Cost Checks

What You Know What You Can Find Calculation
Total cost and total weight Cost per pound Divide total cost by pounds.
Cost per pound and total weight Total cost Multiply cost per pound by pounds.
Total cost and cost per pound Total weight Divide total cost by cost per pound.

Example Problems

Example 1: Find cost per pound

You paid $96 for 24 pounds of copper.

CPP = 96 / 24 = 4

The cost per pound is $4.00/lb.

Example 2: Find total cost with kilograms

You have 10 kg of copper, and the price is $3.75 per pound.

Wlb = 10 / 0.45359237 ≈ 22.04622622
TC = 3.75 × (10 / 0.45359237) ≈ 82.67

The total cost is $82.67.

FAQ

Why does the calculator convert kilograms and ounces to pounds?

The final rate is dollars per pound, so every weight must be expressed in pounds before the cost per pound can be calculated. Kilograms are divided by the exact factor 0.45359237 kg/lb, and avoirdupois ounces are divided by 16.

Does cost per pound mean the current market price of copper?

Not always. Cost per pound is the average price for the copper amount you entered. It may include scrap pricing, dealer pricing, shipping, handling, or other costs if those are included in your total cost.

Can the total weight be zero?

A positive weight is required to calculate cost per pound. A supplied price and zero weight give zero total cost. Zero total cost and a positive price give zero weight; zero price cannot determine a unique weight.