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Although copper is making a comeback in home décor, it’s been one of the leading scrap metals to recycle in the country. In fact, copper is one of the few materials that can be recycled without any loss of effectiveness. This “infinite life” is what gives copper its reputation as the world’s most reusable resource; it’s able to be reused and repurposed over and over again without losing much of its value. We are often asked time and time again “is copper ferrous?” Community Recycling is here to present you with the facts on copper.

Is copper ferrous?

To get straight to the point, no. Copper is considered a non-ferrous metal, meaning it does not contain iron and is not magnetic. Although copper has the highest electrical conductivity of any metal, it is fairly resistant to corrosion. Corrosion is typically characteristic of ferrous metals. Copper is ideal for a wide range of commercial industries because of its malleability, another distinguishing factor of ferrous metals. Because of this characteristic, copper can have an infinite life and be recycled without losing value. So, to answer the question “is copper ferrous,” it is most certainly not.

Fun facts about copper.

Copper used to be the only metal known to man for nearly 5,000 years and was first used by humans more than 10,000 years ago. Now, copper’s recycling rate is higher than any other metal’s rate and for good reason. Premium-grade copper scrap keeps 95% of its value compared to that of a newly mined ore. That’s nearly identical! Recycled copper is produced nearly as much as newly mined copper because it retains a good majority of its properties. We hope that this article answers more questions than “is copper ferrous”!

Community Recycling accepts both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal including copper. To learn more about ferrous and non-ferrous metals, click here. You can also view items we accept and contact us with any questions.