Cost and availability concerns around copper have accelerated aluminium substitution in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, with aluminium now used in an estimated 40% of global units, Lionel Chapis, Norsk Hydro’s senior vice president of Hydro Precision Tubing, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on Tuesday August 26.

The US is launching its first Strategic Minerals Reserve at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada, designed as a platform for storage, refining and recycling to strengthen supply chain security.

The US is confronting a copper supply shortfall, but one company believes that it already holds the key to unlocking hundreds of thousands of tonnes of refined copper – right here, right now.

When the US opted not to impose Section 232 tariffs on copper cathode imports last month, the market breathed a sigh of relief.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ price assessments of the base metals arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel for Friday August 1 were delayed due to reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.

Key takeaways: US 50% tariffs on Brazil exclude pulp, other major exporting sectors US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order implementing an additional 40% tariff on Brazil, raising the total tariff to 50%, the White House said in a statement published on Wednesday July 30. The new tariffs will take effect in seven […]

Market reactions to the soon-to-be-implemented US copper tariff are driving short-term volatility and supply imbalances while fuelling long-term efforts to expand domestic production, recycling and infrastructure.

US export controls on recycled copper would have unintended consequences that could weaken the country’s domestic recycling and manufacturing ecosystems, the president of the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) said.

The United States' copper recycling industry is ramping up pressure on policymakers to impose some form of export controls on high-purity copper scrap, arguing that current trade dynamics – particularly with China – are distorting prices, weakening domestic capacity and undermining national security goals.

US copper scrap market participants are shifting from COMEX to LME pricing in response to extreme price volatility and a new 50% copper import tariff. The change is influencing discount formulas, export strategies and long-term trading dynamics across the sector.