Moorgate Metals Knowledge Centre

Grade names are useful shorthand, but professional buyers purchase against a written specification. The governing contract should define accepted forms, minimum recoverable copper or chemistry where relevant, permitted coatings and attachments, prohibited material, sampling method, weight basis, inspection point and claims procedure.

Commercial criterion
No. 1 copper
No. 2 copper
Typical preparation
Clean, unalloyed copper solids, tube, sheet, clippings or wire meeting the agreed minimum preparation standard.
Unalloyed copper with a greater permitted treatment burden, such as controlled coatings, solder, oxidation or attachments—only as specified.
Value driver
Higher recoverable copper and lower furnace or refining burden.
Recoverable copper after deductions for non-copper content, yield loss and processing cost.
Main inspection risk
Hidden brass fittings, plated parts, excessive solder, closed sections, oil, insulation or mixed alloys.
Inconsistent contamination, excessive iron or non-metallics, heavy solder, mixed radiators, sealed units or material below the contracted recovery basis.
Pricing approach
Often closer to the agreed copper reference, subject to form, freight, finance, assay and market conditions.
Usually a wider discount or recovery formula reflecting treatment cost and uncertainty.

What the specification must settle

Professional documentation should avoid relying on photographs or a grade label alone. It should state the accepted material forms; whether tinned, plated, painted, soldered or oxidised surfaces are permitted; maximum free iron and non-metallic content; exclusion of hazardous, explosive, radioactive or sealed material; and whether deductions are based on visual sorting, hand separation, laboratory analysis or a recovery/yield test.

Inspection and sampling

Inspection should be representative of the shipment rather than limited to accessible top layers. The parties should agree lot definition, sample locations, minimum number or mass of increments, treatment of oversized pieces, magnet checks, photo records, sealed retained samples where applicable, and which result is final. A visual inspection can identify preparation problems but may not establish recoverable copper reliably where the material is heterogeneous.

Commercial settlement

The contract should specify the reference price, quotation period, percentage or monetary adjustment, payable weight, moisture treatment, assay or recovery basis, inspection costs, tolerance bands and claim timetable. “LME minus X%” is incomplete unless the parties also identify the exact LME price, date or averaging period, currency, unit, and all other adjustments.

Buyer-grade conclusion: No. 1 and No. 2 copper are not universal purity guarantees. They are preparation categories whose economic value depends on the signed specification, representative inspection and agreed settlement formula.

Questions a serious buyer will ask

  • What exact copper forms are included and excluded?
  • Are solder, coatings, plating, oxidation and iron attachments permitted—and to what limit?
  • How will the lot be sampled and who controls the retained sample?
  • Is settlement based on gross weight, net dry weight, assay, recovery or final plant yield?
  • What happens when the material falls between the two contracted categories?
  • What evidence and notification period apply to a quality claim?

General commercial guidance only. Grade nomenclature and market practice vary. The signed contract, current official specifications and transaction-specific professional advice control.