The Copper Cost Creep

I would shy away from using copper for metal working surfaces and stick with stainless steel.

I've been in a Dentist office that had a copper sink and it had verdigre forming on it.

I don't think I want to spend my profits polishing copper all the time.

Copper might have a more stable market price then nickle but I'd still stick with the stainless steel.

Actually Copper reflects the growth or lack of it in the economy. The analysts that I listen too tell me that Copper has a PHD in economics.

Heres a couple of other supporting links:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/23540-checking-dr-copper-s-phd-accreditation

http://www.whocrashedtheeconomy.com/?p=34

http://www.dailyreckoning.com/rpt/Copper-Trends.html

I'm not convinced that yet another incremental application would have as much effect as consumption in growing BRIC economies elevating per capita standards of living. And don't forget that other lower value applications are elastic- when price gets too high, people use plastic pipe, or lower gage lower voltage wiring etc. rather than copper. Look at the aluminum radiators on GM cars...

Looked at the backplane of a computer lately?hered the copper go?

New applications will set a new equilibrium for copper price demand elasticity based on highest and best use, driving it out of lower value applications where substitutes are available. Thats how it works.

milo

The cost of copper will always be a result of market forces - a combination of supply and demand as well as speculation...

As far as the application as an antimicrobial surface, I think it is an eventuality...

As far as Janissaries' comments go...we did do it right the first time. They didn't know why at the time, but the anti-microbial properties were why copper and bronze pots/bowls were used to hold water and food for centuries. It was "done over again" when everyone decided that they wanted to have nice, bright, shiny, clean-"looking" stainless steel surfaces, where baceria and viruses thrive quite nicely. I'll take the green/tarnished copper bowl any day of the week...looks aren't everything...

The Copper Development Association lobbied and won approval for 317 (so far) copper alloys to be registered by the EPA as antimicrobial surfaces. Many of these are nickel-silver or copper-nickel alloys that are highly resistant to tarnishing or biofouling. Proof? Take out a nickel, dime or quarter, or check out the silver metal tabs on the end of an old-fashioned pocket knife (one with a wood-grain side panel). In fact, most eating utensils used to be made from these alloys...

I think it is a good thing - bring it on... And I agree that cost will always be king. This type of application will increase demand for copper, but there will be plenty of substitution opportunities to offset this demand.

Might I add....

Hospital aquired infections are the 4th place killer of Americans.

1 in 5 who step into a hospital (2 million) will get an infection while they are there.

100,000 of those will die.

Cost of these infections: $30 billion a year in the US alone...

Money talks, stainless will walk...

I love it when people make their case with DATA.

Hope that you register guest, using data to make a case is valued here.

milo

Another place where we have gone away from copper/brass is the plumbing under our kitchen and bathroom sinks. Has anyone noticed that there are more foul odors coming from the sink drains? This is because bacteria and other microorganisms are growng on the plastic pipes or what has attached to the plastic. Brass and copper drains do not have that problem.