Inspection, Testing & Assaying
Copper cathode and concentrate inspection, sampling and testing
A laboratory result is only as sound as the sample it was given. Our inspectors draw copper samples at the warehouse or stockyard themselves, seal them, and deliver them to an accredited laboratory, which addresses the certificate to you as the client.
Scope
- Turnaround
- Sampling on the inspection date; certificate as the laboratory schedules it, usually within one to two weeks.
- Coverage
- 7 countries, and anywhere in Africa
- Standards
- Inspection to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17020; laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025
For cathodes, the inspection confirms brand, marks and grade and takes drillings or cut samples where the contract requires chemical analysis. For concentrate, samples are taken across the lot by an agreed method and tested for copper content, impurities and moisture, all of which affect the payable weight. For wire and scrap, the material is graded at the yard before baling, against the specification named in the contract.
Analysis is by XRF for composition and ICP-OES for trace elements, at ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories. A certificate that reaches you through the seller carries no weight with us until the laboratory itself confirms it.
Typical situations
- Before payment on cathode, concentrate or scrap
- When the seller’s certificate cannot be confirmed with the laboratory
- When the contract requires an independent pre-shipment analysis
Method
Our testers and inspectors are based in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, the DR Congo, Ghana and Sierra Leone, and deploy with XRF analysers wherever in Africa the material is held.
- STEP 01
Scope
Material, lot, laboratory and the analysis the contract requires.
- STEP 02
Sampling
Samples drawn by our inspector by the agreed method.
- STEP 03
Seal and dispatch
Samples sealed, recorded and delivered to the laboratory.
- STEP 04
Analysis
XRF and ICP-OES, with moisture for concentrate.
- STEP 05
Certificate
Issued by the laboratory directly to you.
Scoping is free. We return a scope, timetable and terms within one business day.
Request this service
Deliverables
- Sampling record with method, photographs and seal numbers
- Laboratory certificate addressed to you
- Composition, trace elements and, for concentrate, moisture
Turnaround. Sampling on the inspection date; certificate as the laboratory schedules it, usually within one to two weeks.
Why clients choose us
- The sample is drawn by us and sealed before it leaves the site.
- The certificate is addressed to you by the laboratory.
- Nairank Global is independent of buyers and sellers. Its fees are outcome-neutral: they are the same whether or not the transaction proceeds. Our fee is agreed before work starts and is the same whatever we find.
Questions
Not answered here? Message the desk.
Which laboratories do you use?
ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories, agreed in the scope for each commodity and destination market.
Who receives the certificate?
You do. The laboratory addresses it to the client.
Why is moisture tested in concentrate?
Because payment is on dry weight. Moisture is deducted from the wet weight before the copper content is applied.
Can you grade copper scrap?
Yes. Wire and scrap are graded at the yard, before baling, against the specification named in the contract.
Do you inspect the lot as well?
Sampling is usually combined with an inspection, so the lot sampled is counted, weighed and sealed at the same visit.
Where can you sample?
Anywhere in Africa, from our bases in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, the DR Congo, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
Where we provide this
City and country pages with local detail: where our teams work, the authorities involved and how an engagement runs there.
- Gold testing in LusakaGold testing in Lusaka with site inspection in the provinces and seller checks.
- Gold and copper testing in LubumbashiGold testing and copper and cobalt sampling in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba, with warehouse inspection.
- Supplier due diligence in ZambiaPACRA, cadastre licences, warehouse inspection and sampling.
- Supplier due diligence in the DR CongoRCCM, CAMI, CEEC, inspection and OECD-aligned evidence.
Related practice areas
Mine, Warehouse & Stockpile Inspection
Document & Certificate Verification
Due Diligence Findings & Report
Field guidance
Country pages and buyer guides where this work applies.
- DR Congo — Bunia, Kinshasa, LubumbashiGold testing and seller checks against RCCM, CAMI, the comptoir licence and CEEC certification.
- Zambia — Lusaka and the CopperbeltCopper inspection and sampling on the Copperbelt, gold testing in Lusaka, PACRA and Mining Cadastre checks.
- Copper suppliers in ZambiaPACRA, the Mining Cadastre, export permits, cathode brands and concentrate sampling — what to check before buying Zambian copper.
- Genuine copper suppliers in the DR CongoRCCM, CAMI, export authorisation, OCC inspection and non-radioactivity certificates — how to confirm a Congolese copper seller.
- How to choose an inspection company in AfricaPort and laboratory inspection versus buyer-side checks, when you need each, and a checklist for choosing an inspector.
Copper & Base-Metal Sampling and Lab Testing
Brief us on the requirement and the location. We return a scope, a timetable and terms within 24 hours, in confidence.