How is cast bar different from cathode?

Cathode is electro-refined and LME-registered. Cast bar is melted-and-cast, usually not LME-registered, but still 99.85%+ Cu. Hedging is identical (Direct MT); commercial pricing has a small discount to cathode.

Is cast bar used for MCX delivery?

No. MCX Copper cash-settles. Physical cast bar moves in the spot market between refiners and remelters with LME-indexed pricing.

What's the typical discount vs cathode?

$50–$150/MT under cathode depending on purity spec and region. Commercial discount, not a hedge adjustment.

Is this product relevant for scrap processors?

Indirectly. Secondary-copper refiners output cast bar from scrap feedstock. The scrap-to-cast-bar conversion is an operational pipeline; each leg hedges separately in its own catalog entry.

Worked exampleCopperCast barRefined

Copper cast bar

Name: Copper cast bar
Brand: Novaex
SKU: copper-cast-bar

High-conductivity cast bar (99.85–99.99% Cu)

Cast bar is a commodity format for copper re-melters and intermediate traders. Direct MT hedging captures the LME exposure without needing a grade-specific premium. The catalog treats all high-conductivity cast bars consistently.

This page shows how the NovaEx wizard models one common configuration. Your contract may look different. Override any field per shipment, or clone the example to build your own.

Last updated: April 2026By NovaEx Product

Conversion recipe

1:1 weight

Hedge methodDirect MT hedge

FormulaHedgeable MT = Qty × UOM factor

Commercial UOMMT

Rounding ruledown

Sources

International Copper Study Group · Copper Development Association

Industry-standard ranges shown. Actual contract terms vary per shipment; override at position entry.

Worked example

Typical shipment

Commercial qty

30 MT

As invoiced

Contained metal

30.00 MT

Copper inside the goods

Hedgeable metal

30.00 MT

Flows to hedge desk → LME Copper

30 MT = 30.00 MT contained Refined metal is 100% base metal → 30.00 MT Copper hedgeable

30 MT of copper cast bar × 100% = 30 MT Cu hedgeable → hedge on LME Copper.

Typical specifications

What you're actually trading

Reference specifications for contracts, counterparty conversations, and supply-chain planning. Not a substitute for the shipment's lab certificate or commercial contract.

Purity: 99.85–99.99% Cu
Format: Rectangular cast bars (remelt / anode feed)
Use case: Re-melt feedstock for rod mills, anode casting
Typical mass: Variable (200–1000 kg per bar)