What recovered material looks like
- Cable pulled from tray, cut into handling lengths
- Building wire pulled from conduit, often in short pieces
- Temporary power cord and distribution cable
- Control and instrumentation cable from teardown
- Bus drops, jumpers and equipment whips
- Medium-voltage cable removed during substation or plant work
- Clean reels from a warehouse or storeroom that were never installed
Keeping the value in the load
The single biggest factor is separation. Wire that is kept apart from conduit, strut, fixtures and hardware is easier to quote and worth more than the same wire in a mixed roll-off.
Second is length. Cable cut into 30 ft pieces is not the same as a 400 ft coil, and it should be described that way rather than presented as reel stock.
Recovered cable is quoted as used material. Condition, length and contamination drive the number, so photograph the pile as it actually is.
Staged pickups for a plant teardown
Teardown wire details
- Products
- Tray, building wire, control, medium voltage, temporary cord
- Quantity
- Estimated weight per stage, reel or pile
- Condition
- Used, cut, recovered, contaminated
- Separation
- Wire kept apart from conduit and hardware
- Access
- Roll-off, laydown area, dock, secured site
- Timing
- Single pickup or staged across the project
We quote what is available at each stage rather than an unknown building-wide estimate.
Industrial maintenance contractors
Maintenance contractors often hold recovered cable between jobs because it might be useful later. When that rack is finally cleared, it is a mixed lot of partial reels and cut lengths from several facilities.
That is a normal load. Photograph the rack and the individual tags, and list what can be identified.
FAQ
Questions we get from sellers
Do you buy wire mixed with conduit and debris?
Wire has to be separated to be quoted as wire. A mixed dumpster is not a wire load.
Can you pick up during an active demolition?
Yes, with a scheduled window and a safe access point. Staged pickups usually work better than one large attempt at the end.
Is recovered medium-voltage cable of interest?
Sometimes. It depends on condition, length and documentation. Photograph the jacket and the ends, and state how it was removed.