The LME is the world centre for the trading of industrial metals. The majority of non-ferrous, on-exchange trading is conducted on our markets.
The prices “discovered” for our physically settled non-ferrous contracts are used as the global reference and basis for physical trading, as well as in the valuation of portfolios, in commodity indices and metal ETFs.
Of the industry and for the industry, the LME’s physical non-ferrous contracts are designed with the metal community in mind and that is what makes the LME unique. We pride ourselves on the unique settlement-date structure of our non-ferrous contracts and our focus on the physical market.
Designed to reflect the nature and timing of bilaterally negotiated metal trades, market participants can use the LME’s non-ferrous contracts to transfer or take on risk against metal prices daily out to 3 months, weekly out to 6 months and monthly out to anything up to 123 months – that’s over 10 years in the future.
Through a trusted and global reference price, flexible prompt-date structure and large lot sizes (that reflect industrial usage) the LME provides non-ferrous participants with unparalleled opportunity to transfer and take on risk.
Monday 9 October 2023
Join your industry peers from around the world at the LME Metals Seminar 2023 for discussions and updates on global metal markets, the macroeconomic outlook, market trends, and opportunities and challenges for the metals industry.
Non-ferrous metals
LME participants can trade and take or make delivery of aluminium, copper, tin, nickel, zinc, lead, aluminium alloys and premiums. Non-ferrous prices discovered on our platforms are used as the global reference price.
LMEpassport, a key component of the LME’s drive for a more sustainable future, is a new system that does away with paper certificates of analysis and provides the market with a new voluntary register of a metal’s sustainability credentials.
Find out more