Global Metals Market Set for Major Changes in Pricing Methodologies
The global metals market is set to see significant changes, particularly in the pricing methodologies for zinc, lead, tin, and nickel. Effective October 10, 2025, new purity standards and payment terms will come into effect, aiming to enhance transparency and consistency.
Key metals affected by these amendments include zinc SHG ingots, lead 99.97% ingots, tin Grade A ingots, and nickel 4×4 cathodes and briquettes. Zinc SHG ingots will now have a minimum purity of 99.995%, while lead ingots will have a purity range of 99.97% to 99.99%. Tin Grade A ingots will have a minimum purity of 99.85% with strict impurity limits.
Nickel 4×4 cathodes will have a minimum purity of 99.8%, and both cathodes and briquettes will have explicit standards referenced. All price assessments will normalize to 30-day payment terms, with adjustments made for transactions with different terms.
These changes, effective October 10, 2025, aim to increase transparency and consistency in metal pricing. The US base metals market is undergoing these significant changes to align quality specifications between premium assessments and their corresponding all-in prices. No immediate price changes are reported, with only minor daily fluctuations observed as of October 7, 2025.
