Understanding the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Copper In-use Stocks in China

Two approaches are adopted to characterize the comprehensive pattern of the copper in-use stocks in China. The top-down results indicate that both the total amount and the per capita quantity of the stocks have exhibited a significant and increasing trend for the past 60 years, especially since 2000. The top-down results show that the copper stocks increased from a negligible level of less than 1 kg/capita in 1952 to 44 kg/capita in 2012. The total stocks in 2012 are estimated to be 60 Mt by a top-down approach or 48 Mt by a bottom-up calculation. The bottom-up method determines that the largest reservoir is the infrastructure sector, which accounts for approximately 58% of the total stocks. The spatial pattern indicates that the copper in-use stocks are predominately spatially distributed in the eastern regions of China, a feature that is obviously different from the geographical distribution of the primary resources. Analysis on the prospects of stocks shows both the total magnitude and per capita value will continuously increase in the following decade, and enter a relatively stable stage in around 2030, with a maximum value of 106 kg/capita. The results improve the knowledge about closing copper cycles.