Copper — LME Grade A cathodes & concentrates
High-purity copper cathodes and concentrates for the electrification era.
Copper underpins electrification, renewable energy, EVs and data centres. CommoFlow sources LME-registered Grade A cathodes and copper concentrates from smelters and mines across Central Asia and the Middle East.
Copper TC/RCs explained: why smelter fees fell to zero and below
A copper mine does not sell pure copper: concentrate is only about 25–30% copper, the rest iron, sulphur and rock, and it ships to smelters — about half of the world's smelting capacity is in China. The miner pays the smelter a treatment and refining charge, the TC/RC. The annual benchmark hit US$87 a tonne in 2023, a six-year high, fell 76% to US$21.25 in 2025, and reached zero for 2026 in a deal between Antofagasta and a Chinese smelter, while spot fees went negative, with smelters paying miners. New smelters in China, India and Indonesia outran mine supply, which was hit by disruptions at Cobre Panamá and Grasberg, and smelters now live on by-products: sulphuric acid, gold and silver. In copper, the power has moved from the factories to the mines.
We buy electrolytic copper cathodes 99.99% (Cu-CATH-1 / BS EN 1978) and 20–25% Cu concentrates on term and spot contracts. Assays are performed at load port and destination with umpire arbitration.
Producers use CommoFlow to reach Chinese, Turkish and European fabricators through indexed sales and hedged offtake, with financing available against LME warrants.
Containerised cathodes ex Aktau, Poti and Jebel Ali; concentrate in break-bulk and containerised parcels of 5,000–30,000 MT.
- ·Wire rod & cable
- ·Power transmission
- ·Electric vehicles & motors
- ·Renewable energy systems
- ·Plumbing & construction
CommoFlow's capability is not limited to the resources listed above. Contact our desk about any other commodity requirement.