ABSTRACT
Copper is one of the oldest metals known to mankind, and definitely the first one to be used extensively. The use of copper signalled the beginning of the progression from the Stone Age to the emergence of the first identifiable civilisations. Unlike steel, but like aluminium, copper is a fairly standardised metal, and both copper and aluminium are priced somewhat differently to steel. Both metals have been traded in organised exchanges for over a century, together with a few other base metals, such as lead, zinc, tin and nickel. Copper occurs in three types of minerals, namely sulphides, carbonates and silicates. The principal copper compounds are chalcopyrite and bornite, mixed sulphides of copper and iron. The international market for copper is very competitive, with prices being determined primarily on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Copper is shipped from the refinery in five different shapes such cathodes, wirebars, continuous cast rod, billets and cakes.
