Copper ore · buyers, suppliers and prices
Copper ore: verified buyers and sellers
Copper ore is rock dug from a mine that still contains copper minerals, usually traded at around 1% to 5% copper. Small and mid-sized mines sell it, and processing plants that leach or float ore buy it, mostly by the truck in Zambia and the DRC. On Copper Supply you can post a free requirement or offer and deal only with members who have passed an ID check.
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Post it freeHow copper ore is priced
Copper ore is paid for its copper content, not its weight. The price is usually a share of the LME value of the contained copper, minus deductions for processing, metal recovery and transport. Some plants instead pay a fixed price per dry tonne for each grade band.
A worked example: a truck of 30 wet tonnes at 8% moisture is 27.6 dry tonnes. At 3% copper it contains about 828 kg of copper. The buyer pays an agreed share of the LME value of that copper.
At low grades, transport can take most of the value, so distance from the mine to the plant matters as much as grade. Payment is normally per truck against the assay, within a short window agreed before loading. On Copper Supply you can price an ore listing as a % of LME on the Cu content, a fixed price, or open to offers.
Find a counterparty
Typical copper ore specification
- Copper
- Commonly 1% to 5% Cu; buyers often set a minimum around 2% Cu
- Ore type
- Oxide (malachite, chrysocolla) for leaching, or sulphide for flotation
- Gangue
- Acid-consuming gangue such as dolomite lowers value for leach plants
- Moisture
- Measured per truck; payment is on dry tonnes
- Size
- Run-of-mine or crushed, as agreed with the plant
- Transport
- By truck, roughly 30 to 34 MT per load
- Sampling
- Joint sampling per truck, independent assay, umpire lab agreed in advance
Where it usually comes from
Where it usually goes
Documents you'll see
- Mining licence, checked against the mining cadastre
- Company registration of the licence holder
- Trial agreement or SPA with sampling and assay terms
- Weighbridge ticket and delivery note per truck
- Joint sampling record with sealed samples
- Independent assay certificate, with umpire lab named
- Transport and export permits where the ore crosses a border
- Certificate of origin for exports
Red flags
- Demands for 100% payment before the first truck is loaded
- Circumvention, access or introduction fees to meet the mine owner
- Grades of 10% Cu or more claimed for bulk ore with no assay from a lab you can contact
- No mining licence, or a licence number that does not match the cadastre map
- Refusal of joint sampling, or insistence on the seller's lab only
- Tens of thousands of tonnes a month offered from an artisanal site
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
Who buys copper ore?
Processing plants: leach plants that buy oxide ore and flotation plants that buy sulphide ore, plus traders and toll processors who supply them. Most ore is bought near where it is mined, mainly in Zambia and the DRC, because transport is costly compared with the value of the copper.
How is copper ore priced?
Usually as a share of the LME value of the copper it contains, minus processing, recovery and transport costs, and paid on dry tonnes. Some plants pay a fixed price per tonne for each grade band. Payment is normally per truck after an independent assay.
What grade of copper ore is worth selling?
Many plants set a minimum of around 2% copper, but it depends on distance, ore type and the plant's process. Low-grade ore far from a plant may not cover the cost of transport. Ask the buyer for their minimum grade and deductions before loading.
What is the difference between oxide and sulphide copper ore?
Oxide ore, such as malachite, is usually treated by leaching with acid and SX-EW, which makes cathode. Sulphide ore, such as chalcopyrite, is crushed and floated to make concentrate for a smelter. Each needs a different kind of plant, so the buyer must match the ore type.
How do I check a copper mine's licence?
Ask for the licence number and check it in the country's official mining cadastre, for example Zambia's mining cadastre or the DRC's CAMI. Check that the licence is valid, covers the area the ore comes from and is in the seller's name, or that the seller has written authority from the holder.
Can I export copper ore from the DRC?
The DRC has restricted exports of unprocessed copper ore and concentrate for years, with exemptions granted from time to time. Rules change, so check the current position with the Ministry of Mines and a customs agent before you sign. Most DRC ore is processed inside the country.
Guides
The market2 min read
Buying copper ore at the mine gate, one truck at a time
How some buyers source ore directly from small and mid-sized mines: own trucks, joint sampling, independent assay and payment per truck. The maths and the risks.
Read the guideHow deals work2 min read
Trial orders: how to start small without being scammed
A trial of one to a few trucks is how most new copper relationships begin. How to structure it so both sides are protected, and what comes after.
Read the guideScams & fraud3 min read
"Test first, pay after": when it is safe and when it is a trap
Testing copper before you pay is good practice. The scam version lets you test material the seller doesn't own, then takes your money before you control the goods.
Read the guideChecking people2 min read
Due diligence on a copper counterparty: what to check, and when to pay for it
A step-by-step list for checking a company before you sign or pay, and when it is worth commissioning a full due-diligence report.
Read the guide
Copper countries
Other copper products
Looking for copper ore?
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