Recycled Copper Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented by Source (Plumbing, Wiring, Electronic Circuits, Roofing, Industrial Machinery), By Product (Copper Scrap, Copper Rods, Copper Pellets, Copper Ingots, Others), By End-Use Industry (Building & Construction, Electrical & Electronics, Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Transportation, Infrastructure, Others), By Region & Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 29.85 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	6.27%
Fastest Growing Segment	Copper Rods
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 42.99 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Recycled Copper Market will grow from USD 29.85 Billion in 2025 to USD 42.99 Billion by 2031 at a 6.27% CAGR. Recycled copper refers to material recovered from end-of-life products or manufacturing waste that is processed for reuse within the production cycle. The market is fundamentally driven by the substantial energy efficiency of recycling compared to primary mining and the accelerating demand for sustainable materials in renewable energy infrastructure. According to the International Copper Study Group, in 2024, global secondary refined production from scrap increased by 6 percent during the first five months of the year. This growth underscores the increasing reliance on secondary sources to meet expanding industrial requirements while mitigating the environmental impact of raw material extraction.

However, a significant challenge impeding market expansion is the complexity of recovering high-quality scrap from increasingly intricate electronic devices. The presence of contaminants and the lack of advanced sorting infrastructure in many regions limit the volume of scrap that meets the purity standards required for high-grade electrical applications. This constraint restricts the supply of premium recycled material and forces manufacturers to continue relying heavily on primary copper for critical components, thereby slowing the broader adoption of secondary copper in sensitive industries.

Key Market Drivers

Accelerating Adoption of Electric Vehicles and Green Mobility is a primary force propelling the Global Recycled Copper Market. As the automotive sector shifts from internal combustion engines to electric drivetrains, copper intensity increases drastically due to its essential role in windings, batteries, and charging infrastructure. This consumption surge creates a supply deficit that primary mining cannot swiftly alleviate, compelling manufacturers to integrate secondary copper to ensure material security and reduce carbon footprints. The reliance on recycled inputs is further amplified by ambitious electrification targets set by major economies, which necessitate sustainable sourcing strategies. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), May 2024, in the 'Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024', global copper demand is projected to rise by 50 percent by 2040 in a Net Zero scenario, a growth trajectory heavily anchored in the deployment of clean energy technologies.

Concurrently, Stringent Government Regulations Promoting Circular Economy are reshaping market dynamics by mandating higher recovery rates and waste reduction. Governments are implementing policies that incentivize the recycling sector to expand capacity, thereby mitigating the risks associated with volatile primary copper prices and declining ore grades. This regulatory pressure aligns with the industrial necessity to maximize resource efficiency, driving a robust increase in scrap availability to meet the widening supply gap. According to Fastmarkets, November 2024, referencing the IEA's 'Recycling of Critical Minerals' report, global copper scrap volumes are projected to increase from 16 million tonnes in 2024 to 19 million tonnes by 2030. Furthermore, illustrating the scale of this trade, according to the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), January 2025, China's total import volume of copper scrap in 2024 reached approximately 2.25 million metric tons, reflecting a year-on-year increase of over 13 percent.

Download Free Sample Report

Key Market Challenges

The inability to efficiently isolate high-purity copper from composite electronic waste streams presents a formidable barrier to the expansion of the Global Recycled Copper Market. As electronic devices become more miniaturized and integrated, separating copper from plastics, adhesives, and other metals requires infrastructure that is currently insufficient in many regions. This technical limitation results in a surplus of low-grade scrap that fails to meet the stringent conductivity standards necessary for electrical wiring and high-performance electronics, effectively shrinking the addressable market for recyclers.

Consequently, manufacturers are frequently forced to resort to primary mined copper to guarantee quality, thereby decoupling recycled supply from rising industrial demand. This reliance on virgin material stifles the market's potential to replace raw extraction with sustainable alternatives. According to the International Copper Association, in 2024, secondary production from scrap recycling accounted for roughly 17 percent to 18 percent of total global refined copper production. This statistic highlights a significant underutilization of end-of-life products, directly limiting the recycled copper market’s volume expansion and economic valuation.

Key Market Trends

The Formation of Strategic Offtake Partnerships by OEMs and mining majors highlights a structural convergence where primary producers are actively investing in secondary recovery systems to secure critical materials. This trend represents a departure from traditional spot market reliance, as upstream players acquire equity stakes in specialized processors to hedge against geopolitical volatility and trade barriers. Such alliances enable the integration of zero-waste recycling technologies directly into the supply chains of major industrial actors. For example, according to Mining Weekly, March 2025, in the 'Rio Tinto backs US recycling project as tariffs upend scrap flow' article, Rio Tinto agreed to acquire a minority stake of 10 percent to 15 percent in Exurban to support the development of a facility dedicated to recovering metals from electronic waste.

The Expansion of Urban Mining for Electronic Waste Recovery is simultaneously materializing through the commissioning of advanced metallurgical complexes designed to handle low-grade and complex scrap streams. Unlike legacy recycling infrastructure, these next-generation facilities utilize sophisticated smelting technologies to recover copper from increasingly miniaturized electronics, thereby creating a reliable domestic source of high-purity material. This industrial scaling is essential for processing the growing volume of composite end-of-life products that cannot be handled by mechanical sorting alone. Substantiating this capacity growth, according to Aurubis, July 2025, in the 'Quarterly Report First 9 Months 2024/25', the company confirmed that its new Richmond, USA plant is scheduled for commissioning in September 2025 with a targeted capacity to process approximately 180,000 tonnes of complex recycling materials annually.

Segmental Insights

The Copper Rods segment represents the fastest-growing category within the Global Recycled Copper Market, primarily driven by its critical role as the essential feedstock for wire and cable manufacturing. This rapid expansion is underpinned by the escalating demand for electrical infrastructure, particularly in the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors, which require extensive cabling. Market analysis indicates that industrial manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing recycled copper rods to comply with circular economy mandates and achieve carbon reduction goals. Consequently, the segment is expanding as companies seek sustainable, high-conductivity alternatives to virgin copper for modernizing global power grids.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific dominates the Global Recycled Copper Market, primarily driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization across major economies like China and India. The region's extensive manufacturing base creates substantial demand for copper in key sectors, including construction, electronics, and automotive production. This leadership is further reinforced by strategic government initiatives, such as the policies implemented by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment to standardize high-grade scrap imports. These regulatory frameworks, combined with heavy infrastructure investment, ensure the region remains the central hub for global copper recycling activities.

Recent Developments

• In March 2025, Rio Tinto secured a minority stake in Exurban, a specialized recycling firm, to support the development of a new electronic waste processing facility in Indiana, United States. This strategic collaboration involved working alongside other industry partners to deploy proprietary zero-waste technology capable of recovering copper, gold, and silver from complex electronic scrap. The investment was part of the company's broader effort to participate in the circular supply chain and secure critical minerals essential for the energy transition. The planned facility aimed to process e-waste domestically, reducing the need for exporting scrap and enhancing local resource recovery.
• In October 2024, Aurubis officially commenced operations at its new multi-metal recycling smelter in Augusta, Georgia. The facility, known as Aurubis Richmond, represented an investment of approximately $800 million and was described as the first secondary smelter of its kind in the United States. It possessed the capacity to process 180,000 tons of complex recycling materials per year, including printed circuit boards and insulated copper cable. This launch allowed the company to process recyclable materials locally, producing blister copper for further refinement and strengthening the North American supply chain for critical metals.
• In September 2024, Hindalco Industries announced an investment of ₹2,450 crore to establish a copper and e-waste recycling facility in Dahej, Gujarat. The company revealed that this project would be the first comprehensive plant in India dedicated to processing scrap and electronic waste into refined copper. The facility was designed to process approximately 300,000 tonnes of scrap annually, producing 50,000 tonnes of copper in its initial phase. This strategic move aimed to reduce dependence on imported copper concentrates and address the growing demand for sustainable materials in the domestic market.
• In May 2024, Wieland Group broke ground on a new copper recycling center at its manufacturing site in Vöhringen, Germany. This strategic project, involving an investment of approximately €80 million, was designed to integrate a recycling facility directly into the existing foundry operations. The new center aimed to process high-quality copper scrap and granulate, thereby raising the recycled content in the company’s products to over 80 percent. By closing the material loop, the company sought to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and dependency on primary raw materials, reinforcing its commitment to a circular economy in the copper industry.

Key Market Players

• Novelis Inc.
• Kuusakoski Oy
• Kobe Steel, Ltd
• Norsk Hydro ASA
• Real Alloy
• Constellium SE
• Alcoa Corporation
• Ye Chiu Group
• China Zhongwang Holdings Limited
• UACJ Corporation

By Product	By End-Use Industry	By Region
Copper Scrap Copper Rods Copper Pellets Copper Ingots Others	Building & Construction Electrical & Electronics Industrial Machinery & Equipment Transportation Infrastructure Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Recycled Copper Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Recycled Copper Market, By Product:

• Copper Scrap
• Copper Rods
• Copper Pellets
• Copper Ingots
• Others

• Recycled Copper Market, By End-Use Industry:

• Building & Construction
• Electrical & Electronics
• Industrial Machinery & Equipment
• Transportation
• Infrastructure
• Others

• Recycled Copper Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE