Zinc smelters have submitted bids for treatment charges (TCs) of up to $280 per tonne for annual contracts, kicking off concentrate supply negotiations ahead of the International Zinc Association (IZA) conference to be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, February 24-27.
TCs are the fees paid to smelters for processing concentrate into refined metal.In January and February meetings with miners, smelters in South Korea, Japan and Europe asked for 2019 contract TCs in a range of $250-280 per tonne, sources told Fastmarkets. Those figures would...