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First traded on LME: 1877
Current specification introduced: April 1986
World production: 15,544,500 tonnes per annum (2001)
Copper was the first mineral that man extracted from the earth and along with tin gave rise to the Bronze Age. As the ages and technology progressed the uses for copper increased. With the increased demand, exploration for the metal was extended throughout the world laying down the foundations for the industry as we know it today. Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity, as such one of its main industrial usage is for the production of cable, wire and electrical products for both the electrical and building industries. The construction industry also accounts for copper's second largest usage in such areas as pipes for plumbing, heating and ventilating as well as building wire and sheet metal facings.
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