Mobile Menu
United States
US NAICS 21223 | Industry Report

Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining in the US Industry Data and Analysis

MP
Matthew Pigott
Analyst New York, United States January 2026

Copper, Nickel, Lead and Zinc Miners have seen modest revenue growth since 2025, in spite of disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and volatile demand from China. Minerals produced by the industry are key inputs in construction, electronics and automobiles, leading demand to fluctuate in unison with overall global economic activity. Specifically, China's vast appetite for copper and other metals creates a robust and direct relationship between Chinese demand and global market conditions. Overall, industry revenue has been growing at an estimated CAGR of 2.2% to reach $13.6 billion in 2025 when revenue is set to decline 1.2% and profit is set to have fallen amid mounting costs.

Continue reading

Access this data your way

The Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining in the US Industry analysis is available in multiple formats to fit seamlessly into your workflow.

IBISWorld Industry Report platform

IBISWorld Platform

Answer any industry question in minutes with our entire database at your fingertips.

Screen of code example for the IBISWorld api

API Data Delivery

Feed trusted, human-driven industry intelligence straight into your platform.

IBISWorld Data integration with a Client user interface

Integrations

Streamline your workflow with IBISWorld’s intelligence built into your toolkit.

What's included in this industry analysis

IBISWorld's research coverage on the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2016-2031. The most recent publication was released January 2026.

About this industry

What's this industry report about?

The Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States operates under the NAICS industry code 21223. Operators in the industry mine copper, nickel, lead or zinc-bearing ore. They may also develop mine sites and convert the mined ore into concentrates for further processing. Related terms covered in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States include ore, concentrate, cathode, polymetallic and electrowinning.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States include Copper ore mining, Zinc ore mining and Lead ore mining.

What companies are included in this industry?

Companies covered in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States include Freeport-Mcmoran Inc., Teck Resources Limited and Grupo Mexico S.A. De C.V.

Performance

What's included in the Performance chapter?

The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States.

Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.

Products & Markets

What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?

The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed product and service segmentation, analysis of major markets and international trade data for the for the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States.

Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.

Geographic Breakdown

What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?

The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States.

Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.

Competitive Forces

What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?

The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.

Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.

Companies

What's included in the Companies chapter?

The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.

Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.

External Environment

What's included in the External Environment chapter?

The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.

Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.

Financial Benchmarks

What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?

The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.

Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.

Industry Data

What's included in the Industry Data chapter?

The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States.

Trusted by industry professionals

More than 6,000 businesses use IBISWorld to shape local and global economies

We were able to supplement our reports with IBISWorld’s information from both a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. All of our reporting now features some level of IBISWorld integration.

BDO logo

IBISWorld delivers the crisp business knowledge we need to drive our business.  Whether it be serving up our major clients, winning new business or educating  on industry issues, IBISWorld brings real value.

PWC logo

IBISWorld has revolutionised business information — which has proved commercially invaluable to exporters, investors and public policy professionals in Australia and overseas.

Australian Trade and Investment Commission logo

When you’re able to speak to clients and be knowledgeable about what they do and the state that they operate in, they’re going to trust you a lot more.

Citi Bank logo

10,000,000+ Data points

100% Industry analyst verified

50,000 + Industry titles

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the market size of the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States in 2026?

The market size of the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States is $13.6bn in 2026.

How many businesses are there in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States in 2026?

There are 37 businesses in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.3 % between 2021 and 2026.

How may import tariffs affect the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States?

The Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

How may export tariffs affect the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States?

The Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States is likely to be significantly impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a high share of industry revenue.

Has the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States has been growing at a CAGR of 2.2 % between 2021 and 2026.

What is the forecast growth of the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States?

The biggest companies operating in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States are Freeport-Mcmoran Inc., Teck Resources Limited and Grupo Mexico S.A. De C.V.

What does the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States include?

Copper ore mining and Nickel ore mining are part of the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States?

The company holding the most market share in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States is Freeport-Mcmoran Inc..

How competitive is the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States?

The level of competition is high and steady in the Copper, Nickel, Lead & Zinc Mining industry in the United States.

Cut through the noise with intelligence you can trust

/img/content/home/cta-image-1.webp
/img/content/home/cta-image-2.webp
/img/content/home/cta-image-3.webp
/img/content/home/cta-image-4.webp
/img/content/home/cta-image-5.webp