Copper anode · verified sellers
Copper anode suppliers
Copper anode suppliers are smelters with an anode furnace and casting wheel, and the traders who buy from them. A real supplier can name the smelter, give the chemical and physical specification of the anodes and accept independent inspection. On Copper Supply every member passes an ID check before they can message you, and you can post a free buying requirement so sellers come to you.
Live copper anode selling offers
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Post it freeWhat a real anode supplier looks like
Anodes come from a smelter with an anode furnace, and there are only a few in Africa. A real supplier names the smelter and can show that the tonnage fits its output. A trader should have a contract with the smelter or written authority to sell.
A real offer gives both the chemistry (copper, oxygen, sulphur, nickel, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, lead, selenium, tellurium, gold and silver) and the physical specification (weight, size, flatness and lugs), because the refinery needs both.
Documents to ask for
- A dated SCO or FCO that names the smelter
- Smelter assay of each lot and the anode specification
- Export licence and certificate of origin
- Packing list with the number of anodes and weight per bundle
- Warehouse receipt or proof of storage
How to verify an anode supplier
- Check that the named smelter exists and casts anodes, and that its output fits the offer.
- Check the seller in its official registry, and the link between seller and smelter.
- Contact the smelter or warehouse yourself, on details you found independently.
- Appoint an independent inspector, such as SGS, Bureau Veritas or Alfred H Knight, to count, weigh, sample and check the shape.
- Run the documents through the document check.
Red flags
- A smelter you cannot find, or a smelter that does not cast anodes
- An assay with copper only
- A price close to Grade A cathode
- Fees before inspection
- Refusal of independent inspection
Search the names in the scam search before you sign anything.
Let suppliers come to you
Post a buying requirement with the chemistry limits, physical spec, tonnage, delivery point and pricing basis. It is free. Members who sell anodes get an email within minutes, and you choose who to talk to.
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
Selling 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
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