Copper

The metal of electricity. Copper carries power through every grid, motor and device on earth, and demand is rising with every new wind farm, data centre and electric vehicle.

4×

An electric car uses around four times as much copper as a petrol car, roughly 80 kg against about 20 kg.

Key facts

At a glance

Atomic number: 29
Density: 8.96 g/cm³
Melting point: 1,085 °C
Key ores: Chalcopyrite, malachite, chalcocite
World mine output: ≈23 million t (2025)
Main uses: Power grids, wiring, EVs, construction

Why it matters

Why copper

Copper conducts electricity better than any metal except silver, at a fraction of the cost. That makes it irreplaceable in cables, transformers, motors and electronics.

The Central African Copperbelt, running from the DRC into Zambia, holds some of the highest-grade copper deposits in the world. In 2025 the DRC was the world’s second-largest copper producer, behind only Chile.

Ore to market

From the ground to the buyer

Stage
Mined ore
0.5–5% Cu
Sulphide or oxide rock blasted and hauled from open pits and underground mines.
Stage
Concentrate
20–30% Cu
Sulphide ore is crushed, ground and floated into a copper-rich concentrate.
Stage
Cathode
99.99% Cu
Smelting and refining, or SX-EW leaching of oxide ore, produces pure copper cathode.

How it is priced

Copper is priced on the London Metal Exchange (LME), with COMEX in New York and the Shanghai Futures Exchange as the other main markets. Concentrate is sold at the LME price minus treatment and refining charges.

Did you know

The story

Money made of copper

For centuries, Central Africans traded with copper cast in the shape of a cross. These “Katanga crosses” were made from Copperbelt ore and served as currency, dowry and a store of wealth long before modern mining arrived in the region.

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