Copper Skyhigh

D.C.

My suppliers are telling me that copper wire prices have gone up 35-50% in the last two weeks! I hear that copper is now trading around $2.00 per pound. They have no idea where prices will be in two weeks. I just received a quote for THHN that is only good till 5:00 today?

Well, we figure better nut-up and buy enough to finish the job.
THHN-12-solid-500'-$154.63 per 1000
THHN-10-solid-500'-$267.83 per 1000
Can anybody lemme know if these prices sound right? Crazy.

Speedy Petey

$2 ????? Try $3.48!!

Copper is astronomically high. I don't know if your prices are accurate, I have not bought small THHN in a few months and am working off stock.
I do know NM is in the over $400 range for 1k' of 12/2.

Who the hell would have ever thought we'd see a roll of 12/2 going for $105???????

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747

If there forcasting those prices on the markets i personally feel metals are going to come down across the board. But then on the other hand you might see them stay up until october. I don't think you will see them peak or extend past the largest peak. Also new home construction is down across the board 7 percent. Futhermore alot of these churn and burn investors are now going to dump there properties. I see it being a buyers market within six months. Bottom line being this. Any person who has bought just to hold for the market now is the time to get out. You are seeing those speculators selling those properties now.

Sparky Joe

I see the same thing happening with houses very soon too(about the prices) sold last July, for a pretty penny, and have been renting in hopes of seeing them come down, to where they oughta be, real soon.

500MCM copper 10 bucks a foot, and I've got one of the worlds largest copper mines right in my backyard(Kennecott). Over 3 bucks a pound for 'bright and shiny' now, too bad the boss has one of those stripping machines.

I'm just curious how high they'll go, because it's not america's use making them that high(China), and wish I would've invested some money in it sooner.

Anyone have any insights about this 'copper craze' or what you think the market may do in the near future?

krthomp33

4 weeks ago, I played a hunch and stocked up on 12/2 @ $243.00 per 1k.
As of last friday, the same roll was $425 at home cheapo........


Itsa nutsa

mdshunk

Anyone bought any HFC cable lately? (green armored healthcare MC). $465 bucks for a 250' coil of 12/2. Sheesh. Donesn't really matter, unless you've got some old bids out that are ready to start work. I bought a few pallets each of the common NM sizes a while back, and I'm good to go in that area. I sorta had a feeling. In these times, it really pays to bring every scrap of copper back to the shop for eventual recycle.

rino1494

2 weeks ago I bought a 60' roll of 3/4 copper tubing for water line and it was $175.

Yesterday, I go to buy another 60' roll and it was $300.

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Sparky Joe

So how does that work; you bid a job, win the bid, but a year later is when your installing the big copper and prices have gone through the roof. Can you ask for more money on top of your original bid, or do you have to eat it?

Speedy Petey

You absolutey have to put a time limit on bids. These days that time is not very long. Used to be most were 60-90 days. Now I use 10 or 15 days.

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fridaymean

That is the best way. Another is a clause in your contract that give you the right to adjust your price based on commodity prices.

D.C.

Being on a 3 year project, we helped protect our subs. A line in the contract alone wont do. We have them get a quote from their suppliers for any commodities (unit pricing) they will use, and make that part of their contract locking in the prices. When they get a new bill for material, they show us the increase, and we give them a change order.
We did this with concrete, lumber, plywood, sheet metal, steel, copper pipe and wire, plastic pipe, glass etc. Plumber got a price for one each of the most common fittings in each type of pipe, metal and plastic, per foot price for each type of pipe, etc (long list).
Also, get your suppliers to send you price increase notices and market trend sheets, and forward them to the client for an early warning.

fridaymean

Exactly

recruit4meisner

It's not just copper, but have you guys seen aluminum letely?!
Heck, even steel fittings are going up like crazy, and so is the theft on my jobsites .

Speedy Petey

I forget the exact % but Arlington's zinc fittings are sky high as well. I believe they are pricing "at time of shippment".

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mdshunk

I was pulling some feeders today, and the bill for the copper conductors alone was just shy of $90,000. Good thing I signed for the reels yesterday, or it might have been $100,000 today. I had the office chick call for price updates this morning on some common cables and conductors, and the guys at the supply house must have given her a hard time. Apparently, their computers show them different prices each time they check within the same day. It is weird, but this need not effect the bottom line. It all gets passed onto the customer. It just feels odd. I just have to make sure that I'm not selling stock already on hand at too cheap of a price, when compared at what it will cost to replace that same stock. That's where you hurt yourself.