U.S. Copper Imports Surge To 500,000 Tons as Tariff Threats Loom

Mercuria estimates that 500,000 tons of copper—far above the usual 70,000 tons per month—is heading to the US.

Traders resorted to an import surge to take advantage of the large price differential while frontloading planned shipments to clear customs before any potential tariffs are imposed.

Traders are rushing shipments to capitalize on price gaps and clear customs before potential tariffs take effect, Jenny McCall reported for Yahoo Finance.

Bloomberg News also reported that traders resorted to an import surge to take advantage of the large price differential while frontloading planned shipments to clear customs before any potential tariffs are imposed.

Mercuria itself has 85,000 to 90,000 tons en route to the US. Bloomberg previously reported that some traders have been redirecting shipments originally intended for Asian customers to the US.