Copper is currently very expensive by historical standards, trading near record highs on global markets and significantly above its long‑term average.

Current price snapshot

  • Benchmark copper is around 5.8–6.05.8–6.05.8–6.0 USD per pound in mid‑January 2026, which is roughly 12,800–13,30012,800–13,30012,800–13,300 USD per metric ton on major exchanges.
  • Recent reports note LME and spot prices in the 13,00013,00013,000 USD/ton neighborhood, described as record or near‑record territory for copper.

How expensive is that, really?

  • Compared with the last decade, these levels are very high; prices are up more than 30% versus a year ago and well above many earlier cycles.
  • For everyday context, such prices make wiring, plumbing tube, and copper‑heavy products (like EVs and some electronics) noticeably more costly than when copper was closer to 3–43–43–4 USD/lb.

Why copper is so pricey

  • Demand is being driven by energy transition trends: electric vehicles, renewable power, and grid upgrades all require large volumes of copper.
  • At the same time, mine supply growth has lagged, and some analyses argue prices may need to roughly double (from pre‑spike levels) to justify enough new mining projects.

Scrap and retail angles

  • Scrap prices track the global market, so clean bright copper wire can fetch strong rates; one recent example shows about 330–350 THB per kilogram in Thailand, reflecting the elevated global price.
  • “Bullion” copper rounds and bars sold to hobbyists often carry big premiums over metal value, which forum discussions have called “overpriced” compared with simply buying industrial copper or scrap.

Trend and near‑term outlook

  • Over the past month, copper has risen almost 9%, adding to an already strong multi‑month rally.
  • Several banks and market analysts expect prices to stay high in early 2026, with forecasts clustering around the low‑to‑mid‑12,00012,00012,000 USD/ton range for average levels, assuming demand for electrification stays strong and no major new supply flood appears.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.