Copper is an important non-ferrous metal used in various forms for different applications. Copper being a major industrial metal, ranks third after iron and aluminium in terms of quantity consumed. Copper is a reddish malleable and ductile metal valued for its excellent thermal and electrical conducting qualities and resistance to corrosion. Copper combines with a number of elements to form a wide variety of copper minerals and ores.
Copper ingots are generally required by the Non-ferrous casting units which are engaged in the casting of different engineering components of brass, gun metal, bronze etc., the agricultural machinery, automobile industries and railway components. These ingots are also required for manufacturing of rods, tubes, strips, wires etc. The copper ingots manufactured from copper scrap are generally known as commercial quality ingots & do not come under the group of electrolytic copper as these are secondary quality ingots.
Copper is one of the oldest metals ever used and has been one of the important materials in the development of civilization. Copper is an important non-ferrous base metal having wide industrial applications. Today it has become a major industrial metal, ranking 3rd after iron and aluminum in terms of quantities consumed.
Copper today is a 8 billion US dollar industry in India having created 50,000 direct and indirect jobs and growing at a CAGR 5-7% per annum. India has a huge growth potential in copper consumption for the next 20-25 years as the government increases focus on smart cities, rapid urbanization and investments in infrastructure. India is expected to be the 6th largest copper market by 2020 with major consumption sectors being - Electrical, Transport and Telecommunications. It is a strategic sector where copper demands is and will be from smart cities, power, transmission and defence. Total global consumption for copper is 26.7 million MT out of which India contributes 4% of the total as of 2014. In India we saw the total consumption of copper at 1.16mn tons in 2014. Out of this wire rod copper consumption was at 695KT and tube and strips copper consumption at 433 KT in 2014.
Global demand for copper metal (produced from refined copper and recycled scrap) is projected to advance 4.2 percent per year through 2019 to 36.0 million metric tons, valued at $261 billion. Robust gains in building construction expenditures are expected to boost the use of copper wire, tube, and other mill products in applications such as building wire and plumbing. Increased infrastructure investment, particularly in developing countries, will further benefit copper suppliers as updates to national power grids drive the production of wire and cable. In addition, advances in global manufacturing output are expected to bolster the use of copper metal in transportation equipment, industrial machinery, domestic appliances, and other durable goods.