Selling
How to sell surplus cable drums in the UK
Left-over cable has four places to go: back to where it came from, to another business that can use it, to a business that buys surplus, or to scrap. Which one pays depends on what the cable is, how much is left and how well you can describe it.
The four routes
| Route | When it fits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Return to the supplier | Full, unopened drums, soon after delivery | Terms are the supplier's own, and cable cut to length may not be returnable at all. Ask your wholesaler before assuming a return. |
| Sell to another business | Approved cable in good condition, enough length to be useful | Usually the best recovery, if the buyer can trust the description. The rest of this page is about that. |
| Sell to a surplus buyer | Mixed or awkward lots, when time matters more than price | Firms that buy surplus cable do exist in the UK; one Birmingham company, for example, advertises for unused armoured cable. Check any buyer on Companies House before sending anything. |
| Scrap | Damaged, very short or unidentifiable cable | The floor, not the target. Insulated copper cable was quoted at £3,100 a tonne in letsrecycle.com's September 2026 prices; prices change monthly. In England and Wales, scrap metal dealers are licensed by councils and may not pay in cash (Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013). |
What a buying business will ask you
A buyer cannot see the drum, so every question they would answer by looking has to be answered in writing. Expect to be asked for:
- The sheath print: manufacturer, type code, standard, cores and size, voltage, and the BASEC or HAR mark. A clear photograph of the printing is better than a transcription.
- The approval: BASEC's licence or certificate number, and whether it appears on BASEC's public search.
- The CPR class and the declaration of performance for cable that will be installed in a building (see checking cable).
- How much is left: the metre marks at the outer end and, where you can reach it, the inner end, or the gross weight, the drum's empty weight and the datasheet's weight per kilometre.
- How it has been stored: ends sealed or not, indoors or out, upright on its rims or lying on a flange, and for how long.
- Where it came from: the original supplier and invoice date.
The drum record puts all of that on one page.
Paperwork that should travel with the drum
Cable for permanent installation in buildings is a construction product. Under the Construction Products Regulation as it applies in Great Britain, a distributor must make sure a product is "accompanied by the documents required" and that storage does not "jeopardise its conformity with the declaration of performance" (Article 14). A business reselling surplus is plausibly acting as a distributor. The safe course is to pass on the declaration of performance, or its reference, with the drum. GOV.UK tells distributors to consider taking professional advice; this page is not that advice.
Keep it saleable while it waits
Manufacturer guidance is consistent on the basics: keep cable ends sealed against water at all times, keep drums upright rather than lying on a flange, roll them only short distances and in the direction marked, and protect them from rain and sunlight in long storage (Prysmian's cables and drums guide). Timber drums shrink, so check the flange bolts. The datasheet for the specific cable governs bending and installation temperature; we do not give one figure for all cable.
When the record is ready, you can send it to us.
Last reviewed 2026-10-19