Jiangxi Copper and Antofagasta agreed terms on 2019 copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) at $80.80 per tonne/8.08 cents per lb on Thursday November 15, sources from both companies told Fastmarkets.
The deal is in line with market expectations and is 1.8% lower than the benchmark of $82.25/8.225 cents agreed in 2018 between Freeport-McMoRan and Tongling Nonferrous. TC/RCs are paid by miners to smelters to cover the cost of turning copper concentrate into refined metal.
"We did agreed with Jiangxi; others should be in line with that [number]," a source at Antofagasta said. "It is above what we were expecting before going to Shanghai but reasonable at the end."
Freeport will follow...