Copper Supply
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Copper cathode · verified sellers

Copper cathode suppliers

Copper cathode suppliers are smelters, refineries, SX-EW mines and the traders who buy from them. A real seller can name the producer and brand, show where the copper is today and accept independent inspection. On Copper Supply every member passes an ID check before they can message you, and you can post a free requirement so sellers come to you.

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Live copper cathode selling offers

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What a real cathode seller looks like

A real seller can answer four questions without delay: who produced the copper, which brand it is, where it is today, and who owns it. Most real African cathode sits in a named bonded warehouse, at a smelter gate, or on the road to Dar es Salaam, Durban, Walvis Bay or Lobito.

Real sellers price against the LME and can explain their discount or premium: incoterm, location, payment terms and volume. They offer a quantity they can load, often a few hundred tonnes a month to start, not 50,000 MT a month from day one.

Documents to ask for

  • A dated SCO or FCO on company letterhead, signed by a named person
  • The producer's certificate of analysis for the actual lots
  • A warehouse receipt from a warehouse you can contact on its own published number
  • Export licence and, for DRC road exports, the truck-level file: truck numbers, border dates, weighbridge tickets and one certificate of origin per truck
  • Company registration documents that match the name on every other paper

See copper trade documents explained.

How to verify a cathode seller

  1. Check the company in its official registry, and check that the person you speak to works there.
  2. Call the warehouse yourself and ask it to confirm the lot, the tonnage and the owner's name.
  3. Appoint your own inspector, such as SGS, Bureau Veritas, Alfred H Knight or CCIC, for weight, sampling and assay.
  4. Run the SKR, certificate of origin or SPA through the document check. The first check is free.
  5. Search the names and phone numbers in the scam search.

Red flags

  • Grade A cathode at LME −20% or deeper. See why the price is the first red flag.
  • One certificate of origin for hundreds of tonnes that left the DRC by road
  • "Test and pay" where you pay before the copper is in your name
  • Fees for insurance bonds, release or "registration" before inspection
  • A seller who refuses an inspector you appoint

Let sellers come to you

Post a buying requirement with your grade, tonnage, incoterm, location and payment terms. It is free. When it goes live, members who sell cathode get an email within minutes, and every Monday all members see it in the market report. Sellers ask for an introduction, you see their profile and what was checked, and you choose who to talk to.

Typical copper cathode specification

Grade
Grade A (LME registered brands) or non-registered brands
Copper
Grade A typically quoted as 99.99% Cu minimum
Standard
BS EN 1978 Cu-CATH-1, ASTM B115 Grade 1 or GB/T 467 A grade
Impurities
Tight limits on Se, Te, Bi, Sb, As, Pb, S, Ag and others; about 65 ppm total for Cu-CATH-1
Form
Full plates around 1 m × 1 m, strapped in bundles of about 2 to 3 MT
LME lot
25 MT (±2%) per warrant
Production
Electrorefined from anodes, or SX-EW from leached oxide ore
Transport
Truck of about 32 to 36 MT inland; containers or break bulk by sea

Selling instead?

Where it usually comes from

Where it usually goes

Documents you'll see

  • SCO or FCO (seller's offer)
  • LOI or ICPO (buyer's letter of intent)
  • SPA (sales and purchase agreement)
  • Producer's certificate of analysis
  • Independent inspection: SGS, Bureau Veritas, Alfred H Knight (AHK) or CCIC
  • Certificate of origin, one per truck for DRC road exports
  • Warehouse receipt or SKR from a named bonded warehouse
  • Export licence
  • Weighbridge tickets and packing list
  • Bill of lading or road consignment note (CMR)
  • Commercial invoice

Red flags

  • Grade A cathode offered at LME −20% or deeper, often with huge monthly volumes
  • One certificate of origin covering hundreds of tonnes that left the DRC by road
  • Refusal of an independent inspector appointed by the buyer
  • An SKR or warehouse receipt from a warehouse you cannot find or call on its own published number
  • "Test and pay" where you must pay before the copper is transferred into your name
  • Requests for insurance bond, release or registration fees before inspection

How Copper Supply works

  1. Step 1Post freeSay what you buy or sell: product, tonnage, price basis, delivery terms. Fraud checks run before it goes live.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

How is copper cathode priced?

Against the LME cash settlement price, averaged over an agreed period. Registered Grade A brands in main markets sell at LME plus a premium in US$ per tonne. Non-registered brands and cathode sold inland in Africa sell at a discount to the LME, which covers transport, finance and brand risk.

What is Grade A copper cathode?

Grade A is refined copper cathode that meets BS EN 1978 Cu-CATH-1, ASTM B115 Grade 1 or the matching Chinese standard, typically quoted as 99.99% copper. Brands that meet it and are approved by the LME can be delivered against LME contracts. Cathode that meets the chemistry but is not an LME brand is often called non-registered or off-brand.

How do I know a copper cathode seller is real?

A real seller can name the producer and brand, prove where the copper is and who owns it, and accept an inspector you appoint. Check the company in its official registry, call the warehouse yourself on its published number, and run the documents through a fraud check. A price deeper than about LME −20% is a strong sign the offer is fake.

Who buys copper cathode?

Rod mills, wire and cable makers, brass and tube mills, and the trading houses that supply them. China is the largest importer of refined copper, followed by countries such as India, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan and Italy.

What documents are used in a copper cathode deal?

Usually an SCO or FCO from the seller, an LOI or ICPO from the buyer, then an SPA. Delivery needs a certificate of analysis, independent inspection, a warehouse receipt, an export licence, certificates of origin and a bill of lading or road consignment note.

Is copper cathode at LME −20% real?

Almost never for Grade A. In 2025 and 2026 real cathode in African bonded warehouses traded at roughly LME −8% to −10%. Any trader could buy real Grade A at −20% and sell it on at once, so such offers are used to collect contacts, documents or fees.

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