Record copper consumption

Consumption of copper in the U.S. reached record levels in 2000.

Preliminary data indicate total usage levels were 1% ahead of 1999. This comes on the heels of 1999’s total of 4.2 million tonnes, an all-time record of more than 15 kg per capita. In a wider perspective, copper consumption in the U.S. rose almost 40% from 1992 until 2000, a 4.5% compound annual growth rate.

Canadian consumption mounted an even bigger percentage increase. Estimates for 2000 show a 5.2% hike to 341,000 tonnes from 324,000.

Wire and cable was the top sector for the fifth straight record year. In 1999, the sector accounted for 2 million tonnes, or 49% of all the copper used in the U.S.

Building wire is the largest end-use market, consuming more than 635,000 tonnes, followed by telecommunications, at 298,000 tonnes.

Electrical energy efficiency remained an important driver in the wire and cable markets. In residential construction, the U.S. National Electrical Code began increasing the standard 14 American wire gauge to 12. The change is expected to yield 60% more copper per metre of home wiring.

Rod and bar, with an estimated 619,000 tonnes, achieved a record in 2000.

— The preceding is from Copper: Connecting our Lives, a publication of the International Copper Association, based in New York, N.Y.