Products - Thames
The non-ferrous metals industry includes the production of different metals for a very wide range of applications. Important non-ferrous metals are aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, tin, titanium, and zinc, and their alloys.
Thames Non-Ferrous Metals is the authoritative voice of nonferrous metals manufacturers and recyclers in Europe and post-Soviet countries. As an umbrella organization, we represent the interests of nonferrous metals in the worldwide market. Our goal is to find nonferrous metal manufacturers interested in participating in global commerce and to encourage nonferrous metal production, usage, and recycling in worldwide markets.
The use of these materials is widespread in industries from automotive manufacturing to construction, in the manufacture of advanced specification, high-technology goods for high temperature, and corrosion resistance, as well as for high strength-to-weight ratio (e.g. titanium and its alloys).
Aluminium
Aluminium is an extremely light metal. It is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust making up about 8% of the Earth’s solid surface.
Aluminium prices neared $ 2,500 per tonne in May 2021 and is inching towards their 2018 peak of $ 2,718. China’s decision to close polluting smelters has pulled out some supply from the market which is supporting prices. Besides, the mounting tension between China (the largest consumer of aluminium) and Australia (the biggest supplier of bauxite and alumina) has also raised supply concerns in China pushing prices higher. China has made a statement saying it would indefinitely suspend all economic activities with Australia, deepening the crisis. Aluminium demand remains intact as it will remain an important metal in the construction of renewable energy infrastructure. Demand from the automobile sector also looks robust in 2021.
Types of Aluminium
Tablet
To consist of 1000 and/or 3000 series alloys, to be free of paper, plastic, excessively inked sheets, and any other contaminants. Minimum size of 3” (8 cm) in any direction.
Taint
Tabor Shall consist of clean old alloy aluminium sheet of two or more alloys, free of foil, venetian blinds, castings, hair wire, screen wire, food or beverage containers, radiator shells, airplane sheet, bottle caps, plastic, dirt, and other non-metallic items. Oil and grease not to total more than 1%. Up to 10% Tale permitted.
Taldon
Shall have a minimum density of 14 pounds per cubic foot (225 kg/m3), and a maximum density of 17 pounds per cubic foot (273 kg/m3) for unflattened UBC and 22 pounds per cubic foot (353 kg/m3) for flattened UBC.
TALK Aluminium Copper Radiators
Shall consist of clean aluminum and copper radiators, and/or aluminum fins on copper tubing, free of brass tubing, iron and other foreign contamination.
Talon New Pure Aluminum Wire And Cable
Shall consist of new, clean, unalloyed aluminum wire or cable free from hair wire, ACSR, wire screen, iron, insulation and other non-metallic items.
TUTU Aluminum Extrusion Dealer Grade
Shall consist of old extruded aluminum of one alloy, typically alloy 6063, 6061, or 7075. Material must be free of iron, thermo break, saw chips, zinc corners, dirt, paper, cardboard, and other foreign contamination.
Aluminum futures traded near $2,600 a tonne, the highest since June 2011 on higher demand and tight supply as China suppresses smelting to reduce pollution and meet green targets. Aluminum producers in Yunnan province were told to reduce power consumption and smelter Yunnan Shenho is set to miss its 2021 output target due to the power cuts. Adding to the bullish tonne, China’s state reserves administration announced it will sell 90,000 tonnes of aluminum, less than the market expected following 50,000 tonnes sales on July 5th. Global aluminum consumption this year is seen rising 8% on the back of climate change investment
Copper demand is projected to rise as a result of the sustainable energy generation and consumption agenda, which is part of governments' green energy push. Copper is the common denominator across all metals used in power generation, transmission, storage, and consumption. Copper is required for electricity generation, transmission infrastructure, energy storage, and consumption. Green energy and the movement toward it support copper's long-term demand since it is substantially more copper demanding than traditional, fossil fuel-based infrastructure.
Copper is a soft, ductile red metal. It is used as a conductor of electricity, a building material, and a component of alloys.
Our base metals cost service provides granular cost breakdowns for 100% of global supply of copper, nickel, lead and zinc
You also have access to our analysts in London, Moscow, Istanbul for additional, personalised commentary on the copper market.
Copper prices touched $ 10,417 a tonne in May 2021, the highest level since February 2011. Since last year the metal has risen 94% amid strong demand and supply tightness. Inventories of copper at the LME warehouses fell to 144 thousand tonnes as of the end of April 2021, losing 43% since April 2020 thereby driving prices higher.
The bullishness in copper prices is also led by the red metal’s immense importance in transitioning to clean energy technologies such as renewables and electric vehicles. Clean energy technologies are also the fastest-growing segment of copper demand. An electric vehicle (EV) needs four times more copper than a regular vehicle.
In a scenario that meets the Paris Agreement goals, clean energy technologies’ share of total demand rises significantly over the next two decades to over 40% for copper and rare earth elements, 60- 70% for nickel and cobalt, and almost 90% for lithium, as per the International Energy Agency (IEA).
ICSG has projected copper mine supply to increase to 25 million tonnes in 2021 and further to 26 million tonnes in 2020 after remaining stagnant for four straight years. While demand for copper is expected to surge, supply is expected to lag behind as ore grades from existing mines are declining in quality and new projects are running behind schedule. A severe shortage could be seen if new supplies do not come onstream in the coming years and investment is not poured into developing new copper mines.
BERRY
Shall consist of clean, untinned, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire and cable, not smaller than No. 16 B
& S wire gauge, free of burnt wire which is brittle. Hydraulically briquetted copper subject to agreement.
CANDY
Shall consist of clean, unalloyed, uncoated copper clippings, punchings, bus bars, commutator segments, and wire not less than 1/16 of an inch thick, free of burnt wire which is brittle; but may include clean cop- per tubing. Hydraulically briquetted copper subject to agreement..
CLOVE
Shall consist of No. 1 bare, uncoated, unalloyed cop- per wire scrap nodules, chopped or shredded, free of tin, lead, zinc, aluminum, iron, other metallic impurities, insulation, and other foreign contamination.
BIRCH
Shall consist of miscellaneous, unalloyed copper wire having a nominal 96% copper content (mini- mum 94%) as determined by electrolytic assay..
CLIFF
Shall consist of miscellaneous, unalloyed copper scrap having a nominal 96% copper content (mini- mum 94%) as determined by electrolytic assay. Should be free of the following: Excessively leaded, tinned, soldered copper scrap; brasses and bronzes; excessive oil content, iron and non-metallics
DREAM
Shall consist of miscellaneous, unalloyed copper scrap having a nominal 92% copper content (mini- mum 88%) as determined by electrolytic assay and shall consist of sheet copper, gutters, downspouts, kettles, boilers, and similar scrap
Lead is a soft, malleable metal and is identified as one of the heavy metals. Lead is used in building construction, lead-acid batteries, bullets, weights, and as radiation protection.
Lead prices made the weakest gain of just 36% yoy on the LME in the past year. The Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted the global automotive sales. Besides, lead future demand is also impacted due to the global decarbonization efforts. The lithium-ion battery is preferred in electric vehicles over lead-acid batteries due to the latter’s harmful effect on the environment. Stocks of lead are up 50% yoy on the LME warehouses as of April end. The International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) anticipates that the global supply of refined lead metal will exceed demand by 96 thousand tonnes in CY2021.
RADIO
Shall consist of clean lead solids, free of other mate- rials, such as drosses, battery plates, lead covered cable, collapsible tubes, type metals, aluminum, zinc, iron and brass fittings, dirty chemical lead and radio- active materials
RELAY
Free of armored covered cable, and foreign material
ROPES
o consist of lead tire balances with or without iron clips. Not to include scrap lead, lugs or plates unless specifically agreed to.
Zinc is a light, grey metal. It is the 24th most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. It is most commonly used in the construction industry and as a counter-balance in the automotive industry
Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use, trailing only iron, aluminum, and copper.
80% of zinc mines are underground, 8% are of the open pit type and the remainder are a combination of both. Rarely is the ore, as mined, rich enough to be used directly by smelters; it needs to be concentrated.
Zinc ores contain 5-15% zinc. To concentrate the ore it is first crushed and then ground to enable optimal separation from the other minerals.
Typically, a zinc concentrate contains about 55% of zinc, usually in the form of zinc sulphide. Zinc concentration is usually done at the mine site to keep transport costs to smelters as low as possible.
While copper, aluminium and tin have seen an unprecedented rally in prices in the last one year, zinc, lead and nickel have made only modest gains of 46%, 36% and 49%, respectively. In case of zinc metal, the market for zinc was in surplus in CY2020 and is expected to remain in surplus in the current year as well. According to the International lead & zinc study group (ILZSG), global refined zinc market recorded a surplus of 486 thousand tonnes in CY2020 and is forecasted to record surplus of 353 thousand tonnes in CY2021. Surplus zinc production also reflected in LME warehouse as inventory of Zinc was 189% higher as on end of April 2021 compared with the corresponding month of the 2020. Surplus availability of zinc made it loose out of the super rally witnessed by its non-ferrous peers copper and aluminium.
Nickel is a hard, ductile white metal. It is considered a rare metal and is used in Stainless Steel production and electronic manufacturing.
Nickel is a key base metal for building sustainable societies due to its use in stainless steel and new battery technology. Its multiple physical and chemical properties make it essential in thousands of products from mobile phones to medical equipment and from wind turbines to batteries.
Nickel prices peaked in February to average $ 18,607 per tonne before cooling off to $ 16,549 in April and then up again to $ 17,957 a tonne in May 2021. The stainless steel and battery segment made a quick recovery from the pandemic thereby pushing demand for nickel. Nickel’s use in lithium ion batteries will also accelerate its demand as EV sales is projected to rise. The global surplus in nickel market is expected to narrow in 2021 as consumption demand is expected to pick-up.
The nickel market is a US$20+ billion per year industry. Today’s market is dominated by stainless steel with over two thirds of total production used in its production. However, nickel is a critical component in new battery technology used in electric vehicles. This section of the market is forecast to grow significantly over the coming years, and will reshape the nickel industry over the coming decades.
SABOT
Shall consist of clean 18-8 type stainless steel clips and solids containing a minimum 7% nickel, 16% chrome, and have a maximum of .50% molybdenum, .50% copper, .045% phosphorous, and .03% sulphur, and otherwise free of harmful contaminants
316 STAINLESS STEEL
Shall consist of clean 316 type stainless steel clips and solids containing a minimum 10% nickel, 18% chrome, and have a maximum of 3% molybdenum, .50% copper, .045% phosphorous, and .03% sulphur, and otherwise free of harmful contaminants.
ULTRA
Shall consist of clean 18-8 type stainless steel turnings containing a minimum 7% nickel and 16% chrome, and to be free of nonferrous metals, non- metallics, excessive iron, oil and other contaminants
INCONEL
Inconel is a family of austenitic nickel-chromium-based alloys. The name is a trademark of Special Metals Corporation. Inconel alloys are oxidation and corrosion resistant materials well suited for service in extreme environments subjected to pressure and heat
