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China, Second Biggest Producer of Copper In The World (List of Top 10 producers)

copper bloomberg — copper tubes source: bloomberg.com

Most copper is mined/extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in porphyry copper deposits that contain between 0.4 to 1.0% of copper. This is the case in some mines in Chile and the United states .

According to the British Geological Survey The amount of copper in use is increasing and the quantity available is barely sufficient to allow all countries to reach developed world levels of usage.
It was reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), the global production of metal increased by 400 million tons between 2013 and 2014 reaching 18.700 million tons, although the demand for copper decreased compared to the previous year.

1. Chile (Mine Production: 5.800 million tons)

Chile’s copper production has been increasing for the last decade although technical and regulatory issues could slow down the trend. between 2013 and 2014 the production increased from 5.780 to 5,800 tons.

2. China (Mine production : 1.620 million tons)

china's copper mine production 2006-2014 — china’s copper mine production 2006-2014 Source: statista.com

China is the largest refined copper producer, but it lacks copper mineral deposits. It has to import unprocessed copper ores and copper scrap.
China increased its copper production in 2014, putting out 1,620 million tons of the metal compared to 1,600 million tons in 2013. Reuters reports that notes that the country’s production increased during the second half of the year, due to the re-lauching of a 100,000-tonne-a-year smelter Liaoning province (North east of China) after 5 years of inactivity.

3. Peru (Mine production: 1,300,000 tons)

between 2012 and 2013 peru’s prodcution didn’t change much. In 2013 the country produced 1.300.000 tons. But it is expected that the mine production could rise by as much as 10 percent in 2014, and Peru’s energy and mines minister, Jorge Merino, has projected a 17-percent increase in copper production alone thanks to several new projects and also the the expected increase of foreign investments in the mining industry.

Copper factory – Source: cnbc.com

4. United States (Mine production: 1,220,000 tons)

5. Australia (Mine production: 990,000 tons)

6. Russia (Mine production: 930,000 tons)

7. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Mine production: 900,000 tons )

8. Zambia (Mine production: 830,000 tons)

9. Canada (Mine production: 630,000 tons)

10. Mexico (Mine production: 480,000 tons)

Being at the heart of the booming copper industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of copper products . You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal.

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Houria // SMC Editor

China to end export tax on rare earths and other metals

On April 23, 2015, China decided to eliminate tariffs on rare earths and other such as tungsten, molybdenum and fluorspar starting from May 1 according to the Chinese Ministry of Finance. This might be the end an international trade dispute caused by this controversial policy.

sands cones - minerals of mining industry — sands cones – minerals of mining industry

China is the biggest producer and consumer of rare earths and responsible for approximately 93% of the world’s rare earth output, but in 2009 the country imposed export restrictions in an attempt to develop its own industry. As a reminder, rare earths are crucial elements for the manufacturing of a wide range of high tech devices, mobile and smart phones, products in the automotive industry etc.

After the implementation of the export tax ,an abrupt reduction in export quotas in 2010 left traders short and froze a high demand on the global market.

As a response to the abolishment of the tax , Bejing will put in place reforms to keep a certain control on its market: today’s chinese rare earth export tax rates currently range from 15 to 25%: 15% for light rare earth elements and 25% for heavy rare earth elements but Bejing will implement a rare earth resource tax on domestic rare earth products.

rare earth minerals found in China- bloomberg.com

The abolition of this restriction could push up the demand of rare earth demand on the global market and has already pushed a number of market speculation.

Forecasting the boom of demand and export of rare earth products , Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of rare earth metal products . You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal

source: bloomberg.com and www.mining.com

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Houria // SMC Editor

How Much Do You Know About Copper?

1.Pyramid of Cheops

The first point of facts about copper is related to pyramids of Cheops. There were water pumping construction found by the archaeologists in this pyramid which was made partly from copper dated more than 5000 years ago.

2.Dead Sea Scrolls

When people Sea Scrolls, they will think that the classic items are made from animal skin. This principle does not apply in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Israel. It is created by using copper. In the scroll, you will see the clues to find the hidden treasure.

3.New York’s Statue of Liberty

One of the materials used to construct the statue of Liberty is copper. It features 80 tons of copper from Norway. The craftsmanship was done in France.

4.Gold

When people want to get firm and tough gold, the manufacturer will add small amount copper. The train of gold is soft so that you can mould this material using your hands. Even though your jewelry is made from 24 k of gold, it still contains some copper.

5.Hieroglyphs

Copper was believed as the symbol of the eternal life. In the hieroglyph system, the ancient Egyptian people utilized the ankh symbol to represent copper.

6.Columbus

Columbus is one of the greatest sailors and explorers in the world. When he made a voyage to America, his ship was protected by using copper skin which eliminate the bio-fouling or even barnacles.

7.Copper cookware

Copper is the best material recommended by most high class chefs in the world. The material can transfer the heat better than any other material.

8.Copper products

Copper is widely used as the construction and frame in water piping and distribution since it can resist from any bacteria. Some products made from copper include handrail, door knobs and finger-plates.

9.Copper tools

Copper is also helpful to lower the risk of explosion. The tools or products made from copper will never cause any fire or even spark. That’s why the electronic tools are made by using this material to prevent the explosion to occur.

10.Anti corrosion

Copper can last longer and it prevents corrosion to form. The nuclear authority in Sweden and deep sea exploration uses copper as the protection for their equipment and pipework.

As an international manufacturer and supplier for copper sheet and bronze sheet, Shanghai Metal Corporation produces slitting, edging, and oscillates winding to fit your specific copper requirements. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Source and photo credit: findfast.org, periodictable.com

William P.//SMC Editor

Positive Milestone in Mining Industry Announced for 2014

It looks promising to the global mining activity as presented by in the latest study by SNL Metals & Mining. Although slow, the recovery path has already shown showed steady signs of improvement for the first half of the year. According to the Pipeline Activity Index (PAI) – one of the most trusted indicators of the global exploration sector’s overall health – recovery was driven mainly by improved numbers of positive milestone announcements – including several new mines coming onstream.

The industry’s aggregate market cap improved for the sixth month in a row, reaching $1.75 trillion, a 20% increase over December 2013 and the highest level since January 2013. The number and value of positive milestone announcements increased significantly in May-June from the lows seen in the first four months of 2014. The in-situ value of advancing gold announcements was considerably higher than in the March-April period, including production starting at several mines. Base metals announcements also increased over March-April; however, the number of advancing base metals project remained well below historical averages.

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide array of high quality metals such as steel, stainless steel, galvanized steel. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Source: snl.com

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

Peru Set to Explode with Copper Extraction

Peru is re-positioning themselves to catapult in front of China to take back second place in the title race for the largest Copper extraction nation in the world. Second only to Chile who produce a whopping 5.8 million tonnes of Copper annually, Peru is set to ramp up their annual Copper output capabilities by approximately double from 1.4 million tonnes in 2013, to 2.8 million tonnes before the beginning of 2016.

The expected green lights on five core Peruvian Copper mining projects underpin this massive growth aspirations and development of the Copper industry in Peru. These projects include; the US$4.6 billion expansion venture of the Cerro Verde’s which is expected to finish up at the beginning of 2016, Southern Copper’s controversial US$1 billion expansion of the Tia Maria mine which had been on hold since 2011 due to community concern for the inadequately proposed water usage and pollution management strategies has resolved these issues through a revisal of environmental management strategies which are expected to gain local approval soon, the US$3.5 billion Toromocho mine which opened last December, US$900 million expansion of Toquepala mine, and the Chinese owned and led US$5.86 billion Las Bambas mine which is expected to shift it’s Copper output upwards from 1.3 million tonnes in 2013 to 2.8 million tonnes before 2016.

Since China is the worlds leading consumer of Copper, Peru exports approximately one quarter of their total Copper extracted to China alone. However recent events such as slowing Chinese housing growth and the Qing Dao collateral scandal have encouraged a cooling of Copper demand in China, forcing a slump in global Copper prices. Provided these current events do not have lasting effects over the next eighteen months, Peruvian Copper production levels can be expected to continue to close the gap between the Copper extraction market leaders in Chile.

Shanghai Metal Corporation stocks a wide selection of Copper-related products and raw materials for all your construction or manufacturing needs. Please take the time to browse our online catalog at: http://www.shanghaimetal.com/Copper–tpl3.html.

Zenn B.//SMC Editor