Fuye secondary copper smelter to add 180kt/yr capacity in Jiangxi

Fuye

Fuye secondary copper smelter plans will lift China’s recycled copper capacity. The Fuye secondary copper smelter will produce refined copper using scrap and residues. As a result, the Fuye secondary copper smelter strengthens supply amid concentrate tightness.

Capacity and feedstocks

Fuye will build a 180,000 t/yr secondary smelter in Shangrao, Jiangxi. The plant will process copper scrap, ingot, and electrolytic residues. The company did not disclose construction or launch dates. Fuye already runs three Chinese smelters totaling 800,000 t/yr.

Fuye’s 620,000 t/yr Heding smelter is co-owned with Jiangxi Copper. It also owns the Hefeng and Heli secondary smelters with 190,000 t/yr. Therefore, the new project deepens a recycling-focused footprint.

Scrap dynamics and market context

Copper scrap is filling a structural gap in concentrates. Scrap supplied nearly 20pc of global refined output in 2024, per ICSG. China’s copper scrap imports held near 1.15mn t in first-half 2025. Trade frictions had limited impact on volumes.

Pricing signals support steady scrap inflows. Argus shows bare bright import cash spreads at 98.5–99pc of LME. #1 scrap held at 97.3–98.2pc and #2 at 94.5–95.5pc. Such levels keep scrap competitive versus cathode.

The Metalnomist Commentary

Fuye’s move underscores China’s push to derisk concentrate exposure with recycling. Location in Jiangxi aligns feedstock pools, established logistics, and OEM demand. Watch permitting cadence and long-term scrap contracts to gauge ramp speed.