Copper anode · verified buyers
Copper anode buyers
Copper anode buyers are electrorefineries that turn anodes into Grade A cathode, and the traders who supply them, with the largest refining capacity in China and India. They pay for the copper and precious metals in the anodes, minus a refining charge and penalties for impurities. On Copper Supply you can post a free selling offer, and members who buy anodes are told within minutes.
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Post it freeWho buys copper anodes
- Electrorefineries that hang anodes in cells and plate pure copper onto cathodes. Gold, silver and other metals collect in the anode slime and add value.
- Integrated smelter-refineries that buy anodes to fill spare refining capacity
- Trading houses that buy anodes at the smelter or port and sell them to refineries on contract
China and India have the largest refining capacity. New smelters in the DRC and Zambia have raised the volume of anodes for sale from Africa.
What refineries need from you
- The right chemistry. Nickel, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, lead, selenium and tellurium affect how the anode dissolves and the quality of the cathode.
- The right shape. Anodes must be flat, straight and of even weight, with sound lugs, so they hang correctly in the cell.
- A full assay of each lot, including gold and silver
- Agreed sampling and weighing, with an umpire lab
- Legal export and clear title
How anodes are paid
- Payable copper at the LME average over an agreed quotational period
- minus a refining charge, in US$ per tonne or US¢ per pound
- plus payable gold and silver above set minimums
- minus penalties for impurities above the limits
Payment is often provisional against shipping documents, by letter of credit or TT, then final after the weight and assay exchange. See letters of credit.
How to post an offer
Post a selling offer with the assay, anode spec, tonnage, smelter, location and incoterm. You can price as a % of LME on the Cu content, LME − US$/t, LME ± %, a fixed price, or open to offers. Listings stay live 90 days. Buyers ask for an introduction and see what was checked. Copper Supply takes no commission and never holds trade money.
Typical copper anode specification
- Copper
- Typically about 99.0% to 99.7% Cu
- Form
- Cast plates with two lugs for hanging in the refining cell
- Weight
- Often a few hundred kilograms each; even weight within a lot
- Impurities
- O, S, Ni, As, Sb, Bi, Pb, Se, Te; limits set by the refinery
- Precious metals
- Gold and silver recovered in anode slime; payable above set minimums
- Physical
- Flat and straight, with sound lugs and few defects
- Use
- Electrorefined into Grade A cathode
Buying instead?
Documents you'll see
- SCO or FCO naming the smelter
- LOI or ICPO from the buyer
- SPA with chemistry, physical spec, sampling and umpire clauses
- Smelter assay of each lot and anode specification
- Independent inspection: SGS, Bureau Veritas or Alfred H Knight (AHK)
- Export licence
- Certificate of origin
- Packing list with anode count and weights
- Bill of lading
Red flags
- A smelter you cannot find, or one that does not cast anodes
- An assay showing only copper, with no impurities or precious metals
- A price close to Grade A cathode
- Requests for release, insurance or registration fees before inspection
- Refusal of independent inspection of chemistry and shape
How Copper Supply works
- Step 1Post freeSay what you buy or sell: product, tonnage, price basis, delivery terms. Fraud checks run before it goes live.
- Step 2Matching traders hear in minutesMembers who trade that product get an email as soon as your listing is live, and every Monday in the market report.
- Step 3Talk only to checked peopleNobody can message you until they've passed an ID check. You see what we checked and choose who to talk to.
- Step 4Run the deal in one roomNCNDA, LOI/ICPO, offers, SPA, IMFPA and signatures in one private deal room. Run any document through a fraud check before money moves.
Free to join. Copper Supply never holds trade money and takes no commission on deals.
Questions people ask
What is a copper anode?
A copper anode is a fire-refined copper plate, typically about 99.0% to 99.7% Cu, cast with lugs so it can hang in an electrorefining cell. In the cell the anode dissolves and pure copper plates onto a cathode.
How are copper anodes priced?
On the payable copper at the LME average over an agreed period, minus a refining charge, plus payable gold and silver, minus penalties for impurities. Some sales use a flat discount to the LME instead.
Who buys copper anodes?
Electrorefineries, integrated smelter-refineries and trading houses. China and India have the largest refining capacity.
What is the difference between copper anode and cathode?
An anode is about 99.0% to 99.7% copper and still holds impurities and precious metals. A cathode is the product of refining the anode, typically 99.99% copper for Grade A, and is what fabricators buy.
Why does the shape of a copper anode matter?
Anodes hang side by side in a refining cell. If they are bent, uneven in weight or have weak lugs, they can short-circuit or dissolve unevenly, which lowers output and cathode quality. Refineries set physical limits in the contract.
Are copper anodes produced in Africa?
Yes. Smelters in the DRC and Zambia cast anodes, and new smelters in the DRC have raised African output. A real offer names the smelter, and the tonnage should fit what it produces.
Guides
How deals work3 min read
How a physical copper deal really works, step by step
From the first introduction to delivery: the eight stages of a real copper trade, who does what at each one, and where deals usually break.
Read the guideThe market2 min read
From mine to port: how African copper reaches buyers
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 guidePayment2 min read
Letters of credit for copper: transferable, non-transferable and back-to-back
Why intermediaries ask for transferable letters of credit, why buyers resist them, and the alternatives that keep a deal moving.
Read the guideDocuments2 min read
Inspection certificates: what SGS, AHK and CCIC reports actually prove
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.
Read the guide
Copper countries
Other copper products
Have copper anode to sell?
Post it free. Members who trade it get an email within minutes, and only ID-checked people can contact you.