Most Americans don’t wake up in the morning thinking about the price of copper. But as prices rise to record highs, Americans might soon feel the pain on some common products — if they aren’t already.
John Marillo, chief dealing officer of global fintech firm B2BROKER, pegs the copper increase on a combination of factors, with President Trump’s proposed tariffs being a major one.
“The possibility of a 25% tariff on all copper imports has created uncertainty in the market, leading to a rush by traders to buy and store copper in the U.S. ahead of the imposition of these tariffs,” Marillo says. This strategic buying has tightened global copper supplies and increased demand, he adds, thereby pushing prices higher.
Here are some products that will make you notice the higher price of copper, and more about what’s behind the price increase.
Because the malleable metal is so efficient at conducting electricity, copper has become the metal of choice for the intricate circuitry inside your smartphone. Look for phone prices to increase if copper stays high, says Dr. Shawn DuBravac, president of tech consultancy at the Avrio Institute.
Home appliances like washing machines use a lot of the metal. Inexpensive units tend to use the most copper, DuBravac says, which means that the lower-end units might be the most susceptible to price increases. He estimates that copper accounts for 20% of the cost a budget-priced washing machine, so expect to see increases.
Ceiling fans that have relatively low-grade motors packed with copper components also could see an increase, according to DuBravac. The price of copper has been hovering just about $5 per pound and DuBravac sees it going higher. “Copper prices already set a new all-time high. We could see copper prices spike as high as $5.40 a pound,” DuBravac says.
Window air-conditioning units might see higher prices, since they’re heavily dependent on internal copper components, DuBravac says — just in time for summer.
Ebikes and their electric car counterparts are both highly dependent on copper, so you might see rental and purchase prices increase if the prices stay high.
Copper, dubbed “red metal,” is known for being a base of modern homes’ construction material. Marillo notes that infrastructure cables and wirings are made of high-grade copper, since it’s more durable, flexible and has higher electrical conductivity than metals like aluminum.
“Consequently, over time, higher copper prices would translate into higher prices for homes and home appliances,” Marillo says.
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