BOISE, Idaho — Copper prices have climbed to record highs as demand from artificial intelligence data centers, electric vehicles, and construction grows, increasing the value of the metal found in everything from household wiring to discarded electronics.
At United Metals Recycling in Boise, insulated wire is chopped into small pieces so the plastic coating can be separated from the copper. The recovered metal is then prepared to be sold by the pound.
WATCH | How Boise businesses recover and recycle valuable copper—
“Copper is a commodity, so it fluctuates on a daily basis,” said Nick Snyder with United Metals Recycling. “Everybody’s hearing about AI now, so that’s part of it — the data centers from AI or electric vehicles. All this stuff that our society is kind of moving toward requires a lot of copper, which entails a bigger price for it lately.”
The benchmark price of copper was recently hovering around $6.60 per pound, up about 40% over the past year after reaching record levels. Scripps News reports that growing demand is colliding with tighter global supplies and uncertainty over tariffs.
Copper is not limited to major construction projects. It can also be found inside everyday electronics, including laptops, desktop computers and cellphones.
Trevor Felgenhauer with the Reuseum pointed to a copper heat sink found inside a laptop as one example.
“It helps dissipate heat away from the hot parts in a laptop or computer so something doesn’t cook itself,” Felgenhauer said.
The Reuseum tests donated electronics to determine whether they can be resold or reused. When that is not possible, staff separate materials such as copper so they can be recycled.
At United Metals, recovered copper can reenter the supply chain. However, Snyder said its rising value can also ripple through the broader economy.
“Copper being at some all-time highs this year, that’s going to affect just a three-bedroom house, because it requires all that copper to make the electricity work,” Snyder said. “Or a vehicle has copper in it. It’s all kind of connected to the price of goods going up.”
