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Copper concentrate · buyers, suppliers and prices
Copper concentrate is a powder made at the mine by crushing and floating copper ore, usually 20% to 40% copper. Mines and traders sell it to smelters, mainly in China, Japan, South Korea, India and Europe, and it is paid on its copper content minus treatment and refining charges. On Copper Supply you can post a free requirement or offer and deal only with members who have passed an ID check.
Copper concentrate is paid on its payable metal, not on its weight. The basic formula is:
TC/RCs move with the balance between mine supply and smelter capacity. They are agreed yearly for term contracts and change often on the spot market. In 2025 and 2026 they fell to record lows, with some contracts at or near zero, because smelter capacity grew faster than mine supply. Check current levels before you price an offer.
Weights are measured wet and paid dry, so moisture is deducted. Payment is usually provisional against shipping documents, then final after the assay exchange. On Copper Supply you can price a concentrate listing as a % of LME on the Cu content, LME ± %, a fixed price, or open to offers.
Free to join. Copper Supply never holds trade money and takes no commission on deals.
Custom smelters and the trading houses that supply them. China has the largest group of smelters that import concentrate, followed by Japan, South Korea, India and Europe. New producers often sell through a trader first.
On the payable copper, gold and silver it contains, at the LME average over an agreed quotational period. The buyer then deducts treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) and penalties for harmful elements such as arsenic. Moisture is deducted, so payment is on dry tonnes.
The treatment charge (TC) is what the smelter charges to smelt a dry tonne of concentrate, in US$ per tonne. The refining charge (RC) is for refining the copper, in US cents per pound of payable copper. Both are deducted from the value of the concentrate and move with the supply of concentrate and smelter capacity.
Elements that are harmful or costly for the smelter, mainly arsenic, mercury, bismuth, antimony, lead, zinc, fluorine and chlorine. Above the limits in the contract the buyer deducts a penalty. Too much arsenic can make a concentrate unsellable in some countries.
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Post it free. Members who trade it get an email within minutes, and only ID-checked people can contact you.
Typical copper concentrate specification
Yes, China is the largest importer of copper concentrate. Imports must stay within China's limits for harmful elements, with arsenic long capped at 0.5%, and cargo is inspected at discharge. Many Chinese smelters buy through traders or term contracts, so a trader may be your first buyer.
Most traded concentrate is between about 20% and 40% copper, often 25% to 30%. Smelters care as much about penalty elements, moisture and consistency as about the copper grade. A clean 22% concentrate can be easier to sell than a 30% concentrate with high arsenic.
Where Central African copper is produced, the road and rail corridors it travels, and the warehouses where most trades are inspected and paid.