Bars, rods and profiles, of copper

1. Scope and Applicability

This PCR covers factory-gate production of wrought copper or copper-alloy bars, rods and profiles with a uniform solid cross-section. It covers integrated or purchased-precursor routes using melting and casting, extrusion, rolling, drawing, heat treatment, surface cleaning, straightening and sawing when those operations occur within the reporting facility.

Wire supplied in coils, plates, sheets, strip, foil, hollow tubes and pipes, unwrought cathodes or billets sold without the working needed to become a bar, rod or profile, and fabricated articles that have acquired a more specific function are excluded. Transport after the factory gate, customer machining, use and end-of-life are excluded.

2. Product Category Identity

Field	Value
canonical_pcr_id	pcr.metal-products-machinery-and-equipment.basic-metals.bars-rods-and-profiles-of-copper
classification_refs	CPC 3.0: 41512, Bars, rods and profiles, of copper
covered_products	Solid copper and copper-alloy bars and rods supplied in straight lengths; solid constant-cross-section copper and copper-alloy profiles, whether coiled or straight, that do not meet the definitions of wire, flat products, foil, tubes or pipes
excluded_products	Copper wire in coils; wire-bars and billets that remain unwrought feed; plates, sheets, strip and foil; tubes, pipes and fittings; powder and flakes; castings or fabricated articles with a more specific product function
representative_product	Copper rod, with bar and profile form variants governed by the same mass-based rules and mandatory form disclosure
production_route	Integrated or purchased-precursor manufacture by casting where applicable, hot extrusion or rolling, optional cold drawing, optional heat treatment and surface treatment, and final straightening/cutting
market_state	Factory-gate saleable straight-length bar, rod or profile, or a coiled profile only when it is not wire; declared alloy grade, temper, dimensions and surface condition

3. Reference Flow

Field	Value
What	Saleable copper or copper-alloy bar, rod or profile meeting the declared grade, form, dimensions, temper and surface specification
How much	1 kg net conforming product at the factory gate
How well	Conforming to the declared product specification, with nonconforming offcuts and rejects excluded from net product mass
How long or cycle	One production reporting period, normally 12 consecutive months, covering representative campaigns for the declared product mix
reference_flow_link	The normalized output row copper_rod_output provides the representative reference product; datasets for bar or profile variants must retain the same mass basis and declare the different form.

Field	Value
Reference amount	1 kg
Reference product flow	Copper rod d5e5708d-dac7-4278-b2a0-068ed90df983
Reference flow property	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66
Reference unit group	Units of mass 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66
Reference unit	kg
Required qualifiers	product form: bar, rod or profile; refined-copper or alloy designation and composition; temper; cross-section and nominal dimensions; straight length or permitted profile coil state; surface treatment; recycled-content accounting method; manufacturing route; facility geography; reporting period

When constructing a foreground data package, every required qualifier must be declared. The Tiangong Copper rod identity is the representative reference object and does not replace product-form disclosure for bar or profile datasets.

4. Measurement and Unit Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Required property	Required unit	Rule
reference_mass	reference product and all copper-bearing inputs and outputs	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Normalize net conforming output to exactly 1 kg. Measure gross output, offcuts, rejects and returned internal scrap separately; do not count internally recycled copper twice as a new external input.
gas_reference_conditions	natural gas and industrial oxygen	Volume 93a60a56-a3c8-22da-a746-0800200c9a66	m3	Record metered volume with temperature, pressure and whether the reading is standard, normal or actual volume; convert only with documented reference conditions.
electricity_energy	electricity crossing the foreground boundary	Net calorific value 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66	MJ	Preserve the metered energy record and document any kWh-to-MJ conversion; do not include upstream grid emissions as direct site emissions.
solution_mass	sodium-hydroxide solution	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Record delivered solution mass and active-ingredient concentration separately so solution mass is not confused with dry NaOH mass.

5. System Boundary

The foreground boundary begins with externally supplied copper-bearing feed and other products crossing the facility gate and ends with net conforming bar, rod or profile released at the factory gate. For an integrated facility it includes relevant melting, holding, casting, extrusion or rolling, drawing, annealing, surface treatment, straightening, sawing, recirculation and on-site treatment operations. A purchased billet or other precursor is represented by its upstream product dataset; upstream mining, concentration, smelting, refining and off-site recycling are not recreated inside this foreground inventory.

rule_id	Applies to	rule	source_ids
boundary_product_form	product category boundary	Include only worked products with a uniform solid cross-section that meet the declared bar, rod or profile form; exclude coiled wire and hollow tube or pipe.	un-cpc-3-0-2025; cjeu-hydro-energo-2020
boundary_integrated_operations	foreground operations	Include every manufacturing and on-site treatment operation controlled by the reporting facility that materially serves the reference product, and disclose which melting, casting, forming, heat-treatment and cleaning steps are present.	eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017
boundary_upstream_products	supplied feed, energy and chemicals	Link supplied cathode, billet, scrap accepted as a product or waste, energy, gases, water and chemicals to separate upstream datasets; do not place their upstream burdens in direct site exchanges.	eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017

Boundary Abstraction

Field	Value
declared_starting_condition	Externally supplied copper cathode, billet, or segregated copper-bearing feed entering the controlled manufacturing site; the selected starting condition and copper grade must be declared
starting_condition_role	Upstream product or waste input whose prior production or recovery is represented by a separate dataset
product_classification_scope	Solid worked copper and copper-alloy bars, rods and profiles corresponding to CPC 3.0 code 41512, subject to the physical form boundary above
recursive_input_rule	A same-category bar, rod or profile received for further drawing, annealing or finishing is recorded once as a product input with its own upstream dataset; its embedded production is not recursively rebuilt in the receiving process.
upstream_dataset_requirement	Use product- and geography-appropriate datasets for externally supplied copper feed, alloying content, electricity, fuel, gases, water and treatment reagents; disclose missing or proxy datasets.
disclosure	Declare the starting copper state, refined-copper or alloy grade, recycled-content accounting, included process sequence, internal copper recirculation, surface-treatment route, energy supply, water recirculation and factory-gate product state.

6. Process Inventory Structure

Process Map

process_id	process_name	inclusion	inclusion_condition	role	quantitative_reference
integrated_manufacture	Integrated manufacture and finishing of copper bar, rod or profile	required	Always; disclose which melting/casting, extrusion/rolling/drawing, annealing, cleaning, straightening and cutting operations are present and retain submetered records where available.	Foreground production from declared copper feed to factory-gate conforming product	Net kg of conforming bar, rod or profile released at the factory gate

Process: Integrated manufacture and finishing of copper bar, rod or profile (integrated_manufacture)

Inputs

Product flows

Copper feed (cathode_copper_input)

Record externally supplied cathode copper. A site receiving billet or same-category worked stock must preserve that specific identity in its foreground record and disclose the different starting condition; unlike copper-bearing feeds are not combined in one measured record.

• Selected flow: Cathode copper
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured mass of externally supplied cathode copper charged to production
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_copper_feed
• Sources:

Electricity (electricity_input)

Record electricity for all included production and treatment operations. Exclude electricity embedded in upstream product datasets.

• Selected flow: Electricity 890a70b7-b677-4e2a-8a1b-7d017e0a10ae
• Flow property / unit: Net calorific value / MJ
• Amount rule: metered electricity attributable to the reference-product production system
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_electricity
• Sources:

Natural gas (natural_gas_input)

Record gaseous natural gas combusted in melting, billet heating, holding, annealing or drying. Mark not applicable only when no natural gas crosses the foreground boundary.

• Selected flow: natural gas in the gaseous state 4f19ca0e-7b3b-11dd-ad8b-0800200c9a66
• Flow property / unit: Volume / m3
• Amount rule: metered natural-gas volume attributable to the reference-product production system
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_natural_gas
• Sources:

Industrial oxygen (industrial_oxygen_input)

Record delivered industrial oxygen used for fire refining or another declared on-site metallurgical operation, only when that route is present.

• Selected flow: Industrial oxygen bd4b0f96-2090-4806-a648-335ab20ff401
• Flow property / unit: Volume / m3
• Amount rule: metered industrial-oxygen volume consumed by applicable on-site operations
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Technology-specific (technology_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product for a route using supplied oxygen
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_industrial_oxygen
• Sources:

Process water (process_water_input)

Record process-water intake for casting cooling, equipment cooling, cleaning, rinsing and on-site treatment. Report recirculation separately and do not count the same closed-loop water repeatedly as external intake.

• Selected flow: Process Water 94a04f7e-2d5c-41f0-b182-d54a3b373a02
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured gross process-water intake crossing the foreground boundary
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_process_water
• Sources:

Sodium hydroxide (sodium_hydroxide_input)

Record sodium-hydroxide solution used to neutralize spent pickling or rinsing water when treatment occurs within the foreground boundary. Retain solution concentration.

• Selected flow: Sodium hydroxide e0abcced-0611-4c24-9290-5a2c5a0c4169
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured delivered sodium-hydroxide solution mass used for attributable wastewater treatment
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Technology-specific (technology_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product for a route with on-site neutralisation
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_sodium_hydroxide
• Sources:

Waste flows

No incoming waste row is prescribed. If copper-bearing waste is accepted as feed, add one foreground row for each specific waste identity and keep it separate from cathode copper and purchased product feed.

Elementary flows

No elementary input is prescribed. Direct environmental water abstraction, if present, must use its specific elementary-flow identity.

Outputs

Product flows

Net conforming copper rod (copper_rod_output)

Record net conforming factory-gate product after subtracting offcuts, rejects and work in progress. Copper rod is the representative Tiangong flow; bar and profile datasets retain the mass basis and declare their actual form.

• Selected flow: Copper rod d5e5708d-dac7-4278-b2a0-068ed90df983
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured net conforming product mass used as the normalization denominator
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Product-specific (product_specific)
• Normalization basis: exactly 1 kg net conforming reference product after normalization
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_product_output
• Sources:

Waste flows

Every externally transferred dross, filter dust, spent refractory, sludge, spent solution, offcut or reject must be added as its own specific waste flow in the completed foreground dataset. Internally returned copper is recorded in the mass-balance ledger and is not an external waste output.

Elementary flows

Direct fossil carbon dioxide (fossil_carbon_dioxide_output)

Record direct fossil carbon dioxide from foreground fuel combustion or a documented on-site carbon balance. Do not copy upstream electricity or supplied-material emissions into this direct output.

• Selected flow: carbon dioxide (fossil) 08a91e70-3ddc-11dd-923d-0050c2490048
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured direct stack emission or site-specific calculation from foreground fossil-carbon records
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg net conforming reference product
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_direct_co2
• Sources:

7. Allocation and Co-product Handling

rule_id	Applies to	rule	source_ids
allocation_subdivide_first	shared operations and treatment systems	Subdivide or meter product lines and stages before allocation whenever records permit.
allocation_internal_copper	internally returned copper-bearing material	Treat internal recirculation as an internal loop: record its mass for balance and quality control, but assign neither a new upstream burden nor an external co-product credit.	eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017
allocation_external_outputs	externally transferred co-products and wastes	Where subdivision is infeasible, apply declared physical allocation when a causal physical relation exists; otherwise use justified economic allocation. Do not apply avoided-burden credit unless a separate consequential study is declared.

8. Foreground Data Collection, Calculation, and Quality Rules

Data Collection Protocols

protocol_id	process_id	flow_role	record_type	raw_fields	collection_method	unit	frequency	temporal_coverage	site_scope	aggregation_rule	quality_evidence
cp_copper_feed	integrated_manufacture	cathode copper feed	weighbridge, invoice and charge record	identity; supplier; grade; recycled-content claim; gross mass; returns; charge mass	reconcile receipts to charge records	kg	each delivery and charge	complete reporting period	all product-serving lines	sum external charged mass by specific feed identity	calibrated scales, invoices, stock reconciliation and supplier specification
cp_electricity	integrated_manufacture	electricity input	meter and production log	meter id; readings; generated electricity; exports; allocation driver; downtime	read submeters or reconcile facility meter to equipment	MJ	at least monthly	complete reporting period	all included operations	net imports plus attributable generation less exports, after subdivision	meter calibration, bills and meter map
cp_natural_gas	integrated_manufacture	natural-gas input	fuel meter and invoice	volume; temperature; pressure; reference condition; heating value; equipment; hours	reconcile meters and invoices to operating logs	m3	at least monthly	complete reporting period	all included gas-fired equipment	sum attributable gas at one documented reference condition	calibration, invoice reconciliation and fuel specification
cp_industrial_oxygen	integrated_manufacture	industrial-oxygen input	flow meter or delivery record	source; purity; pressure; reference condition; volume; operation	reconcile delivery or generation meter with route logs	m3	each delivery or campaign	applicable campaigns	oxygen-using operations	sum attributable supplied volume at one reference condition	delivery tickets, meter checks and route logs
cp_process_water	integrated_manufacture	process-water intake	water meter and balance	source; intake; makeup; recirculation; blowdown; discharge	meter external intake and construct a water balance	kg	at least monthly	complete reporting period	all included water systems	sum external intake once; report recirculation separately	calibrated meters and water-balance reconciliation
cp_sodium_hydroxide	integrated_manufacture	sodium-hydroxide solution	delivery and dosing record	solution mass; concentration; batch; dosing point; treated-water volume	reconcile inventory with dosing logs	kg solution	each delivery and batch	applicable campaigns	on-site treatment	sum attributable solution mass and retain concentration	analysis certificates, stock reconciliation and dosing calibration
cp_product_output	integrated_manufacture	conforming product output	certified scale and release record	form; alloy; temper; dimensions; surface; gross output; offcuts; rejects; net mass	reconcile line output to release records	kg	each batch	complete reporting period	all covered products	sum released conforming mass by specification	scale calibration, release certificate and mass balance
cp_direct_co2	integrated_manufacture	direct fossil carbon dioxide	stack measurement or carbon ledger	equipment; measured emission; fuel carbon; fuel use; oxidation basis; biogenic fraction	monitor directly or retain a documented facility calculation	kg	each monitoring period or monthly	complete reporting period	all included direct fossil sources	sum direct foreground fossil CO2 only	monitoring QA or traceable carbon calculation and fuel records

Calculation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Formula or rule	Inputs	Output	source_ids
calc_reference_normalization	every inventory exchange	normalized amount = attributable reporting-period exchange / reporting-period net conforming product mass	exchange record; cp_product_output net mass	exchange per 1 kg reference product
calc_copper_mass_balance	copper-bearing feed, product, internal returns and external losses	Reconcile external copper-bearing inputs with conforming product, work-in-progress change, internal-loop inventory change and each specific external copper-bearing output; investigate unexplained loss.	cp_copper_feed; cp_product_output; site mass-balance ledger	documented copper mass-balance closure	eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017
calc_solution_active_mass	sodium-hydroxide solution	active NaOH mass = delivered solution mass × measured mass fraction; retain both values	cp_sodium_hydroxide mass and concentration	kg active NaOH and kg delivered solution

Data Quality Requirements

requirement_id	Applies to	Requirement	Evidence
dq_product_identity	reference product	Report form, copper or alloy designation, composition, temper, dimensions, surface condition and route for each aggregated product group.	specification, analysis certificate and release record
dq_process_coverage	foreground system	Document the actual sequence and demonstrate that all product-serving melting, casting, forming, heat-treatment, cleaning, extraction and treatment operations are included or justified as excluded.	flow diagram, equipment list and meter map
dq_atomic_outputs	waste and elementary exchanges	Add each actual external waste and direct elementary emission as a separate specific flow; a collective label is not an acceptable dataset exchange.	manifests, treatment records, permits and monitoring reports
dq_temporal_representativeness	all records	Cover a representative reporting period and material campaigns for the declared product mix; explain shutdowns, trials and abnormal campaigns.	dated production, meter, maintenance and quality records
dq_reconciliation	material, water and energy	Reconcile supplier records, meters, inventories and product output; document allocation where shared meters remain.	signed reconciliation, calibration records and retained source documents

9. Validation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	rule	source_ids
validate_reference_flow	reference product	Confirm exactly 1 kg net conforming bar, rod or profile and all required qualifiers.	un-cpc-3-0-2025; cjeu-hydro-energo-2020
validate_boundary	foreground system	Confirm that the starting condition and actual integrated process sequence match included meters, records and upstream links.	eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017
validate_no_double_count	copper and utilities	Confirm internal copper recirculation is not a new external input and upstream product burdens are not repeated as direct foreground emissions.
validate_completeness	waste and elementary outputs	Require each actual dross, dust, refractory, sludge, spent solution, offcut, reject, wastewater discharge and direct air emission to be a specific atomic exchange or demonstrated absent.	eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017
validate_ranges	important flows	Treat absent external benchmark ranges as evidence gaps; retain foreground measurement and review unresolved range-evidence needs before publication.

10. Published Dataset Profile

Field	Value
dataset_role	secondary_dataset; background_dataset after independent review and publication
downstream_use	Attributional modelling of factory-gate copper or copper-alloy bar, rod or profile
allowed_use	Use for the declared form, alloy, route, geography, time and factory-gate boundary; aggregate only representative disclosed variants.
excluded_use	Wire, flat products, foil, tubes, unwrought copper, fabricated components, materially different undisclosed alloys or routes, and cradle-to-grave results
required_metadata	PCR id and version; form; alloy and composition; temper; dimensions; surface treatment; starting state; recycled-content accounting; sequence; geography; technology; period; allocation; cut-offs; upstream dataset identities; data quality
required_quality_disclosure	Meter coverage; mass, water and energy reconciliation; shared-meter allocation; missing atomic outputs; unresolved cathode-flow UUID; absent external benchmark ranges; proxies; abnormal operations; review status
update_trigger	Material change in product mix, copper feed, recycled-content method, forming or treatment route, energy or water system, controls, allocation, geography, or a new exact UUID or independently supported range

11. Data Sources

Source id	Type	Reference	Used for
un-cpc-3-0-2025	official_guidance	United Nations Statistics Division, CPC Version 3.0 Structure, 30 June 2025, code 41512, https://unstats.un.org/unsd/classifications/Econ/Download/In%20Text/CPC_Ver_3.0_Structure_30Jun2025.csv (retrieved 2026-09-04)	Official classification identity and hierarchy
cjeu-hydro-energo-2020	official_guidance	Court of Justice of the European Union, Judgment of 18 June 2020, Case C-340/19, Hydro Energo, ECLI:EU:C:2020:488, paragraphs 37-44 and Chapter 74 definitions reproduced in the judgment, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62019CJ0340 (retrieved 2026-09-04)	Physical distinction among bars/rods, profiles, wire, tubes and unwrought precursors
eu-jrc-nfm-bref-2017	official_guidance	European Commission Joint Research Centre, Best Available Techniques Reference Document for the Non-Ferrous Metals Industries, 2017, Sections 3.1.3, 3.1.4 and 3.3.5.2, https://bureau-industrial-transformation.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2020-01/JRC107041_NFM_bref2017.pdf (retrieved 2026-09-04)	Process sequence, boundary, water recirculation, surface treatment, residue and emission completeness