For the latest shared monthly observation, 2026-08, Copper was 14,326.00 USD per tonne and Zinc was 3,875.00 USD per tonne. Latest shared monthly release. The chart indexes both series to 100 at their first shared date.
Choose another pair to open its canonical comparison destination.
61 monthly observations · 2021-08-01 to 2026-08-01 · Starting value = 100
World Bank Pink Sheet. Ratios use aligned prices; yearly figures average monthly observations.
| Period | Copper index | Zinc index |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-01 | 152.89 | 129.69 |
| 2026-07-01 | 144.54 | 120.45 |
| 2026-06-01 | 144.63 | 118.44 |
| 2026-05-01 | 144.54 | 116.53 |
| 2026-04-01 | 138.22 | 112.58 |
| 2026-03-01 | 133.71 | 106.49 |
| 2026-02-01 | 138.22 | 111.24 |
| 2026-01-01 | 138.87 | 107.53 |
| 2025-12-01 | 125.77 | 106.02 |
| 2025-11-01 | 115.39 | 106.33 |
| 2025-10-01 | 114.62 | 105.49 |
| 2025-09-01 | 106.55 | 98.16 |
| 2025-08-01 | 103.20 | 93.34 |
| 2025-07-01 | 104.28 | 92.47 |
| 2025-06-01 | 104.96 | 88.86 |
| 2025-05-01 | 101.74 | 88.49 |
| 2025-04-01 | 97.94 | 87.75 |
| 2025-03-01 | 103.95 | 96.69 |
| 2025-02-01 | 99.58 | 93.71 |
| 2025-01-01 | 95.96 | 94.34 |
| 2024-12-01 | 95.15 | 101.54 |
| 2024-11-01 | 96.86 | 100.54 |
| 2024-10-01 | 101.75 | 103.95 |
| 2024-09-01 | 98.58 | 94.95 |
This snapshot uses the latest shared monthly observation and an initial five-year window, shortened when the common archive is smaller. It stays on that labelled basis when you explore another chart range above.
World Bank Pink Sheet. Monthly averages; not executable transaction quotes.
From 2021-08 to 2026-08, the shared monthly window changed +52.89% for Copper and +29.69% for Zinc. The endpoint difference was 23.21 index points. This describes the selected historical window, not a forecast.
+52.89% from 2021-08 to 2026-08.
+29.69% over the same observation dates.
Copper is an industrial benchmark normally quoted per metric tonne. Prices depend on grade, location and delivery; refined copper prices are not scrap-yard offers.
Zinc is widely used to galvanise steel. This refined-metal reference does not represent the price of finished galvanised products or local scrap.
Use the standalone copper price history and zinc price history to inspect each source series in its original unit. The commodity price archive provides frequency controls and individual CSV downloads.
Both source series use USD per tonne. Matching units make the nominal figures easier to read together, but Copper and Zinc still have separate specifications and markets.
Both sit in industrial metals, yet their stated uses differ: Copper — Power cables · Construction · Electric motors; Zinc — Galvanising · Die casting · Alloys. A shared category does not make the products substitutes.
The overlapping selectable frequencies are monthly and yearly. Daily comparison is offered only when both stored series have daily coverage; otherwise monthly observations provide the common basis.
These subject–relationship–object facts keep the two commodities, their units and the chart method separate.
| Subject | Relationship | Object | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | is published in | USD per tonne | Read copper in its original source unit before converting it. |
| Zinc | is published in | USD per tonne | Read zinc in its original source unit before converting it. |
| Copper | is used in | Power cables · Construction · Electric motors | These uses provide context for copper demand; they do not explain every price move. |
| Zinc | is used in | Galvanising · Die casting · Alloys | These uses provide context for zinc demand; they do not explain every price move. |
| Copper versus Zinc | is aligned on | 61 shared monthly observations from 2021-08 through 2026-08 | The chart compares matching dates and gives both series a starting index of 100. |
The copper reference is a refined-metal benchmark, normally published per metric tonne. It is a starting point for understanding broad movements rather than a quote for a cable reel, a fabricated component or a mixed scrap load. Converting the price to kilograms changes the mass basis but does not change the material specification.
Processing and supply: Mining, refining and recycling affect available material. A refined benchmark does not value ore or mixed recovered metal directly.
The zinc reference tracks metal rather than the finished products in which it is used. A galvanised component includes steel, processing and other costs. Applying a zinc reference to its whole weight would overstate zinc content and omit the product’s other materials.
Alloy and casting uses: Die casting and alloys use specified zinc-containing compositions. A finished casting includes fabrication costs beyond the reference metal.
Copper and zinc are separate refined-metal markets and can also be inputs to brass. Comparing them can help frame two input references, but it does not calculate the price of a particular brass grade.
A finished brass product has a specified copper–zinc mix and may include other elements. Its price also includes fabrication and delivery, so two benchmark prices are not a finished-product quote.
Copper has major electrical uses; zinc is widely used for galvanising. Demand changes in cable, construction or coated steel can affect the two references differently.
The indexed chart places both tonne-based series at 100 on a shared date. It compares direction and scale of movement without treating the metals as equal products.
From 2021-08 to 2026-08, the shared monthly window changed +52.89% for Copper and +29.69% for Zinc. The endpoint difference was 23.21 index points. This describes the selected historical window, not a forecast. Change the chart range to test another starting point; the labelled monthly snapshot keeps its own initial window.
The overlapping selectable frequencies are monthly and yearly. Daily comparison is offered only when both stored series have daily coverage; otherwise monthly observations provide the common basis.
Both source series use USD per tonne. Matching units make the nominal figures easier to read together, but Copper and Zinc still have separate specifications and markets. The indexed view answers how each stored reference moved from a shared starting date; it does not calculate a transaction return.
Both sit in industrial metals, yet their stated uses differ: Copper — Power cables · Construction · Electric motors; Zinc — Galvanising · Die casting · Alloys. A shared category does not make the products substitutes. Also confirm the observation date, grade or purity, delivery terms and costs that apply to the actual product.
Change one side of the chart with Copper versus Aluminium, Copper versus Nickel, Zinc versus Lead.
