Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc Smelting and Refining in Australia - Industry Market Research Report

Highly refined: Strong demand for copper for electric vehicles has benefited revenue growth

The Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc Smelting and Refining industry has faced volatile conditions over recent years due to volatile pricing and refineries generating a high proportion of industry revenue by providing refining and smelting services to mining companies as a third-party service. As mining companies can export ore concentrate overseas to be refined, industry firms that service mining companies need to be price and service competitive. Industry volumes and revenue are greatly influenced by changes in demand for smelting and refining services and the production output of mining companies that also operate in the industry. Overall, industry revenue is expected to climb at an annualised 1.1% over the five years through 2023-24, to an estimated $4.2 billion, mainly due to higher copper prices despite lower refined copper output. Industry revenue is anticipated to fall by 6.2% in 2023-24 as downstream demand weakens and copper production declines greatly.

Industry firms smelt and refine copper, silver, lead and zinc. Firms in the industry can smelt their own ore concentrate or contract it from a third party for a fee. Industry firms may also recover these metals from waste or scrap and produce sulphuric acid as a smelting by-product.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry's key players and their market shares.