Proposal to increase frequency of Shanghai equivalent-grade copper cathode premium

Fastmarkets invites feedback on a proposal to increase the publication frequency of the MB-CU-0412 non-exchange-deliverable equivalent-grade (EQ) copper cathode premium, cif Shanghai to twice weekly.

Fastmarkets, which currently assesses the premium every Tuesday, proposes to publish the Shanghai EQ copper cathode premium every Tuesday and Friday.

Fastmarkets began to track the Shanghai EQ copper cathode market in November 2019, and increased its assessment frequency from fortnightly to weekly in July 2023 following increased market interest.

This proposal to increase the pricing frequency to twice weekly will bring more market transparency amid continually rising demand and increased spot liquidity.

The proposed specifications for the premium will be as follows (proposed change in italics):

MB-CU-0412 Copper EQ cathode premium, cif Shanghai, $/tonne
Quality: 99.9935% min copper conforming to LME specifications; Ag: 0.0025% max, As: 0.0005% max, Bi: 0.00020% max,Fe: 0.0010% max, Pb: 0.0005% max, S:0.0015% max, Se: 0.00020% max, Te:0.00020% max
Quantity: Min 25 tonnes
Location: cif Shanghai
Timing: Within 6 weeks
Unit: USD per tonne
Payment terms: LC, TT or DP other payments normalized to cash
Publication: Twice weekly. Tuesday and Friday 4pm London time
Note: Non-exchange deliverable units

The consultation period for this proposed amendment starts on Thursday August 1 and concludes on Thursday August 29.

The proposed increase in frequency will take place from Tuesday September 3, subject to the outcome of this consultation.

This price is part of the Fastmarkets base metals package.

To provide feedback on this consultation, or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to the Shanghai EQ copper cathode premium, please contact Sally Zhang by email at pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading ‘FAO: Sally Zhang, re: Shanghai EQ premium.’

To see all of Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/methodology.

What to read next
The MB-AL-0408 aluminium low-carbon differential P1020A, cif Mexico was published at 3:02pm London time on May 20 instead of the scheduled time of 3-4pm on May 27. The erroneous price has been removed from Fastmarkets’ pricing database. The price will next be published on May 27 at its usual time. This price is a part of the Fastmarkets […]
Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its global soybean prices, via an open consultation process between April 15 and May 10, 2025. This consultation was done as part of our annual methodology review process.
Due to the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on Monday May 19, these prices will be published instead on May 20, in accordance with Fastmarkets’ policy. This change was not initially noted on Fastmarkets’ 2025 pricing schedule. The pricing schedule has now been updated. The affected prices are:MB-STE-0093 steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, […]
Fastmarkets proposes to launch Nordic sawn timber export prices for selected European markets and grades, while discontinuing the PIX Sawn Timber FAS Finland indices. The PIX sawn timber FAS Finland indices have not been widely adopted by the industry and the new price assessments will offer more end-market-specific data for major European markets and will […]
To increase transparency, Fastmarkets has further clarified how it handles price movements during periods of low liquidity. Factors that Fastmarkets may consider during times of low liquidity include, but are not limited to: market fundamentals such as changes in inventory levels, shipments, operating rates and export volumes; relative fundamentals of similar commodities in the same […]
Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for PIX Packaging GCC indices via an open consultation process between April 16 and May 14, 2025. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process. Full details of the prices covered by this consultation can be found here. No feedback […]