Copper ore · verified sellers
Copper ore suppliers
Copper ore suppliers are licensed mines, from small operations to mid-sized pits, and agents who represent them. A real supplier has a valid mining licence, can load trucks regularly and accepts joint sampling with an independent assay. On Copper Supply every member passes an ID check, and you can post a free requirement with your minimum grade so mines come to you.
Live copper ore selling offers
No live copper ore selling offers right now. Post yours and members who trade copper ore are emailed within minutes.
Post it freeWhat a real ore supplier looks like
A real ore supplier has a mining licence for the area the ore comes from, a working pit or stockpile, and a loader. They can tell you how many trucks a week they can fill, what grade the last trucks assayed at, and whether the ore is oxide or sulphide.
Grade varies. A real mine will say "between 2% and 4%", not promise 10% for every truck.
Documents to ask for
- Mining licence with the licence number and area, which you can check in the mining cadastre
- Recent assays from a lab you can contact, with dates and sample numbers
- Company registration, matching the licence holder or with a written link to it
- Transport or export permits if the ore crosses a border
- A trial agreement that sets the sampling method, the lab, the umpire lab and the payment window
How to verify an ore supplier
- Check the licence in the official cadastre of the country, such as Zambia's mining cadastre or the DRC's CAMI.
- Visit the site or send someone you trust. Photograph the pit, stockpile and loader with a date.
- Send your own trucks and sample every truck jointly, then seal the samples.
- Assay at an independent lab both sides accept, and pay per truck against the result.
See buying copper ore by the truck.
Red flags
- Demands for 100% payment before loading
- "Circumvention fees" or "access fees" to meet the mine owner
- Very high grades for bulk ore, with no assay from a lab you can call
- No licence, or a licence that does not match the cadastre map
- Huge monthly volumes from an artisanal site
Let mines come to you
Post a buying requirement with your minimum grade, oxide or sulphide, location, tonnage per week and payment terms. It is free. Members who sell ore get an email within minutes. Mines ask for an introduction, and you see what was checked before you reply.
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
Selling instead?
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?
Post it free. Members who trade it get an email within minutes, and only ID-checked people can contact you.