Copper Facts
Copper is a natural element – a metal that has been one of mankind’s most useful and valuable materials. It is represented by the chemical symbol Cu and the atomic number 29.

Copper is also an essential nutrient that is required by virtually all higher life forms. It is an essential component of dietary nutrition that enables the body to metabolize energy and function properly. As with humans, plants and animal health rely on adequate copper intake. The world’s two most important food crops – rice and wheat – are both highly dependent on sufficient copper in soil.

Copper has been indispensable to human progress. In fields ranging from medical equipment to energy efficiency, from jet planes to satellites, from television to the Internet, Copper is vital to our well being in day-to-day life.

Copper is by far the most sustainable gift of nature’s bounty. For as long as humans have put copper to use, they have taken advantage of the fact that it is virtually one hundred percent recyclable. It has always made economic sense to retrieve as much copper as possible from a product, at the end of its life cycle, and re-use it for some new purpose. Moreover, most copper in use, such as roofing, wiring, and plumbing, will remain in use for over half a century.