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Base & industrial metals

Copper (Cu)

Electrical wiring, grids, motors, electronics and construction.

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Atomic number
29
Period · group
4 · 11
Block
d-block

Why it is critical

Essential to electrification; long lead times for new mines and declining ore grades.

Who trades copper

$252 bn of copper products crossed borders in 2024: ores and concentrates $106 bn · refined metal $87 bn · scrap $38 bn · intermediates $21 bn.

Largest exporters

  1. 1Chile$51 bn20%
  2. 2Dem. Rep. Congo$23 bn9%
  3. 3Peru$23 bn9%
  4. 4United States of America$11 bn4%
  5. 5Indonesia$11 bn4%
  6. 6Zambia$9.8 bn4%
  7. 7Japan$9.0 bn4%
  8. 8Australia$8.8 bn3%

Largest importers

  1. 1China$121 bn48%
  2. 2Japan$16 bn6%
  3. 3Germany$11 bn4%
  4. 4India$11 bn4%
  5. 5South Korea$10 bn4%
  6. 6United States of America$9.0 bn4%
  7. 7Taiwan$6.4 bn3%
  8. 8Italy$5.8 bn2%

Trade values in current US dollars (ores, concentrates, intermediates, chemicals and refined metal), not prices. Source: CEPII BACI (HS22), Etalab Open Licence 2.0 — details.