US September copper imports fall 3.1% from August
US copper imports in September dipped 3.1% from August but were still almost double levels of a year earlier, official data showed on Wednesday, as metal continued to flow to the country ahead of possible tariffs.
The US imported 194284 metric tons of refined copper and copper alloys in September, down from 200519 tons in August and a record 225 094 tons in July. Imports were 102279 tons in September 2025.
US imports over the first nine months of the year were 1.52-million tons, up 17% year on year. The US imported a record 1.64-million tons of copper in 2025.
The Trump administration has proposed a 15% tariff on refined copper imports from 2027 but has yet to confirm it will go ahead with the levy.
Traders are hoping for clarity on tariffs now the US midterm elections are over.
The uncertainty has sent copper stocks on the COMEX exchange to a record high of 731428 tons and inventories in London Metal Exchange warehouses in the US to their highest in more than a decade.
The three biggest copper suppliers to the US in September were Chile, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Korea.
