5 Valuable Home Materials Thieves Could Target

I’ve always focused on inexpensive home security additions to deter burglars from coming inside. However, with the prices of scrap metal and other valuable home materials surging in recent decades, it pays to be aware of exterior elements that can be tempting for thieves.

I spoke to two crime prevention experts about the things you might not realize are attractive to steal and what measures you can take to mitigate your losses.

Copper Guttering

Copper guttering is aesthetically appealing and durable—it’s also one of the most valuable home materials on this list. “Thieves can make more money selling one copper downspout than taking the whole side of aluminum from a house,” Criminal Justice Professional Dr. Ben Stickle says.

Copper’s market price has increased by almost 500 percent in the last two decades. In 2000, the price per pound was under $1; as of March 2025, it’s over $5. Stickle explains that copper guttering is also appealing to scrap metal thieves because it’s easily identifiable and not difficult to remove.

If you’re keen to keep or install classy copper gutters, Stickle suggests replacing the easy-to-access lower downspouts with a lower-priced metal. Some professional copper thieves may watch your property and wait for an opportunity to remove all the guttering. However, Stickle explains that many thieves are lazy opportunists. “If it takes more work to steal it, they’re less likely to do it,” he says. “Often, they’re just going to pull off what they can get quickly and walk away.”

If they only remove a lower-value downspout, it will be less inconvenient and costly for you to replace.

Air Conditioning Units

If you come home one hot day to discover cool air won’t circulate around your rooms, it could be because thieves have taken your exterior air conditioner unit—or stripped it down to remove the valuable parts. “To cool the air, water runs through a series of condensing tubes, and these are generally copper,” Stickle explains. While some thieves might leave the frame if they’re only searching for copper, others will take the entire unit for convenience or sell the other cheaper metal parts for scrap.

Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeffrey Reisman warns that because the copper air conditioner wiring and tubing is easy to extract, this has led to thefts of units while homes are occupied. “That includes instances of thieves posing as service technicians advertising a special,” he says.

“Some of the newer air conditioners have less copper put in them on purpose,” Stickle says. “But I don’t know that a thief would know that until they get inside and already do the damage.” He recommends considering mounting the HVAC unit higher on a wall. If the unit is trickier to access and remove, it will be less attractive to thieves.

Aluminum Siding

Aluminum isn’t nearly as valuable as copper per pound, and trying to remove an entire home’s siding is time-consuming and conspicuous. However, one of the pros of aluminum siding is that it’s lightweight, and large quantities can still be attractive to professional scrap metal thieves. “Aluminum siding theft is probably more of an issue in houses that are empty or not easy to see from the street,” Stickle says.

Stickle doesn’t have a lot of faith in surveillance cameras to deter thieves from stealing valuable home materials. However, he says that some studies indicate that just having a sign saying you have a burglar alarm prevents more burglaries than an actual alarm. “So it’s conceivable that if you have a sign saying you have video surveillance, that might dissuade someone from even approaching your house,” he says.

It may be comforting to know that if you own a dog, you will be less likely to be targeted. “Universally, thieves hate dogs,” Stickle says. “They are obviously afraid of getting bitten, and they feel like dogs alert neighbors that there’s something wrong.”

Loose Lumber

Reisman says he has worked with property owners who have incurred extra costs and experienced delays as a result of lumber theft from new home builds or restoration projects.

“Framing materials, plywood, and decking boards are commonly stolen from the site then sold out cheaply to ruthless contractors or [unaware] DIY enthusiasts,” he says. “Insurance covers for theft of construction materials vary, depending on the policy and whether or not those materials were considered part of the property or within the control of the contractors.”

To help you stay on budget when building a new home, Reisman recommends things like installing motion sensor lights or heavy locks to secure materials, as well as looking at your insurance coverage. “Marking valuable home materials with unique identifiers, such as engraving a serial number or applying a UV-visible security marker, greatly compromises resale potential and aids in tracking stolen items,” he says.

Catalytic Converters

Catalytic converters don’t strictly fall into the category of valuable home materials. However, the experts think they merit adding to the list, given vehicles sitting directly outside your home are common targets for thieves.

“Catalytic converters contain a small amount of three precious metals—palladium, platinum and rhodium,” Stickle explains. “They’re in the same family as gold and silver and very valuable—oftentimes more valuable per ounce than gold.”

While the thieves don’t extract the metal themselves, they will sell it to a specialist who can. According to Stickle, stolen catalytic converters can sell anywhere from $75 to $300 at a scrapyard.

If you own a vehicle that sits higher off the ground, Stickle says this will be a more tempting target for thieves, as it is easier and quicker to slide underneath and access the catalytic converter. He recommends installing motion sensor lights pointing at your car as a helpful deterrent.

About the Experts

• Jeffrey Reisman is a Toronto Criminal Defense Lawyer with over 25 years of experience in areas including theft and property offenses; email interview, Mar. 6, 2025
• Dr. Ben Stickle, Criminal Justice Professional and Author, conducts research and provides consultation on policing and crime prevention. He is a Professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and the author of the book “Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit“; video interview, Mar. 8, 2025.

Sources

• “Macrotrends: Copper Prices – 45 Year Historical Chart” (2025)

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