Read special correspondent Andrea Hotter's coverage from CESCO Week 2025 and learn more about the growing demand for copper

Codelco stays flexible on copper trade amid tariff uncertainty

Copper smelters struggling with record low treatment and refining charges (TCs/RCs) won’t be able to look to the Cobre Panama mine to ease market tightness any time soon.

After a consultation period, Fastmarkets is increasing the publication frequency of two copper concentrates index coefficients — MB-CU-0422 copper concentrates counterparty spread and MB-CU-0423 copper concentrates Co-VIU — from monthly to fortnightly.

Participants in the market for copper scrap and blister in China, the world’s largest importer of copper raw materials, expect there to be fiercer competition for material in 2025, industry sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Thursday January 9.

There has been a freefall in copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) this year amid tighter supply in the market. In 2025, supply tightness is projected to keep copper concentrates TC/RCs low on average for the whole year, sources told Fastmarkets.

Fastmarkets proposes to increase the frequency of two copper concentrates index coefficients - MB-CU-0422 copper concentrates counterparty spread and MB-CU-0423 copper concentrates Co-VIU - from a monthly basis to fortnightly.

Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)-audited non-ferrous metals, via an open consultation process between October 8 and November 7, 2024. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process.

Unprecedented supply tightness and record low treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) are likely to challenge copper smelters in 2025 – even more than in 2024, sources told Fastmarkets.

Copper concentrate treatment charges (TCs) are expected to remain low in 2025, with the market likely to remain tight, sources from across the industry told Fastmarkets.