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South Africa · copper producer and consumer
South Africa produces and uses copper, and Durban is a major port for copper from Zambia and the DRC. On Copper Supply you can post a requirement or an offer for cathode, rod or scrap for free, and every member passes an ID check before messaging. Check SKRs, COAs and bank letters with the document check before you pay.
South Africa has a long history of copper mining, around Phalaborwa in Limpopo and in the Northern Cape. It also has a large industry that uses copper: rod, wire and cable makers, foundries and scrap processors. On top of that, Durban is one of the main ports for copper trucked from Zambia and the DRC.
Local buyers are mostly rod and cable makers, foundries, brass makers and scrap processors. Export buyers usually want photographs of the actual lot, an independent inspection, and payment by LC or against documents.
Trucks from Zambia and the DRC reach Durban through Zimbabwe, crossing at Beitbridge, or through Botswana. Journey times are measured in weeks. Cargo is cleared by SARS.
Scrap exports are tightly controlled. Exporters need an ITAC export permit, and under the price preference system scrap must first be offered to local users at a set discount. The rules have been reviewed in recent years, so check the current position with ITAC.
South Africa has a busy local market and a busy export market, and both attract brokers who cannot deliver. Copper Supply shows you who has passed which checks.
Copper Supply never holds trade money and takes no commission on deals. Before you deal with anyone, search the members-only scam list.
Free to join. Copper Supply never holds trade money and takes no commission on deals.
Yes, but scrap exports need an ITAC export permit, and under the price preference system scrap must first be offered to local users at a discount. Permit conditions are enforced, and companies have been fined for breaking them. Check the current rules with ITAC before you agree a deal.
Often not. Much of the cathode offered in Durban was produced in Zambia or the DRC and trucked south. The certificate of origin should name the real country of production, and the seller should be able to show that country's export papers.
Check the company on the CIPC register and ask how it is licensed: scrap dealers must follow the Second-Hand Goods Act, and scrap exporters need an ITAC permit. Confirm any SKR with the warehouse yourself. On Copper Supply, badges show what has been checked.
Buy from registered dealers, ask where the material came from, and refuse burnt cable or lots that look like cut network cable. Keep records of every purchase. If in doubt, walk away.
The market2 min read
The names scrap traders use, what they mean, how scrap is priced against the LME, and the checks that matter before you pay.
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Where Central African copper is produced, the road and rail corridors it travels, and the warehouses where most trades are inspected and paid.
Read the guideChecking people2 min read
Sellers are asked for offers, documents and samples by "buyers" who disappear. Three questions and a few checks that find the real ones.
Read the guideDocuments
Post it free. Members who trade that product get an email within minutes, and only ID-checked people can contact you.
Copper in South Africa: key facts
Local buyers include rod, wire and cable makers, foundries, brass makers and scrap processors. Traders also buy transit cathode in Durban for export. Post a requirement or an offer on Copper Supply to reach verified buyers and sellers.
Independent inspection is the backbone of safe copper trading. What an inspector checks, which report you need at which stage, and how to verify one.
