TFM Leads DRC Copper Cathode Exports with 228,811 Tonnes in First Half of 2026
DRC Copper Exports: Tenke Fungurum Mining Leads First-Half 2026 Cathode Shipments with 228,811 Tonnes
Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) emerged as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) largest exporter of copper cathodes in the first half of 2026, shipping 228,810.91 tonnes, according to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Mines.
The figures, published in a detailed table by the Technical Coordination and Planning Unit (CTCPM), show that TFM accounted for 15.5% of the 1,477,389.32 tonnes of 99.99%-purity copper cathodes exported by the DRC between January and June.
TFM was followed by SCM, which exported 119,469.80 tonnes, CMOC Kisanfu Mining (KFM) with 113,779.21 tonnes and Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) with 104,423.81 tonnes.
Together, the four companies exported 566,483.73 tonnes, representing 38.3% of the DRC’s total copper cathode exports during the six-month period.
TFM and Kisanfu Strengthen CMOC’s Position
The figures take on greater significance when the ownership of the operations is considered.
Chinese mining group CMOC Group holds an 80% interest in TFM and a 71.25% interest in KFM. The two operations therefore place CMOC behind two of the DRC’s three largest cathode exporters.
Combined, TFM and KFM exported 342,590.12 tonnes of copper cathodes in the first half, equivalent to 23.2% of national cathode exports.
Their contribution is even more significant in Lualaba Province, which accounted for 1,122,448.21 tonnes of the DRC’s cathode exports.
TFM and KFM together represented approximately 30.5% of Lualaba’s exported cathodes.
CMOC says TFM now has five production lines and annual copper production capacity of more than 450,000 tonnes, while KFM has capacity exceeding 200,000 tonnes per year.
KFM is also preparing for further expansion, with a second phase expected to add another 100,000 tonnes of annual copper capacity from 2027.
TFM Increases Shipments in Second Quarter
TFM’s export performance also strengthened during the first half of the year.
The company exported 110,242.46 tonnes of copper cathodes in the first quarter, increasing to 118,568.45 tonnes in the second quarter. This represents a 7.6% quarter-on-quarter increase.
June was particularly strong, with TFM exporting 43,039.96 tonnes during the month.
KCC, meanwhile, recorded a decline between the two quarters. Its exports fell from 56,702 tonnes in the first quarter to 47,721 tonnes in the second, although its first-half total remained above 104,000 tonnes.
BMS ranked behind the leading group with 74,872.68 tonnes of copper cathode exports during the period.
Cathodes Account for Most DRC Copper Exports
The CTCPM figures also highlight the importance of distinguishing between copper cathode exports and total copper exports.
The DRC exported 1,724,217.20 tonnes of copper in various forms during the first six months of 2026. Of this amount, approximately 85.7% was exported as copper cathodes.
The remaining volumes consisted of copper contained in concentrates, anodes, black copper and other metallurgical forms.
The cathode ranking therefore does not represent a ranking of total copper production or all copper exports by individual mining companies. Instead, it specifically measures exports of refined copper cathodes.
The results nevertheless underline the scale of the DRC’s major industrial copper operations.
TFM alone accounted for roughly one tonne in every six tonnes of copper cathodes exported by the country, while TFM and KFM together approached one-quarter of national cathode exports.
With copper remaining central to the DRC’s mining economy and global demand expected to remain strong, the performance of these large-scale operations will continue to influence the country’s export volumes and its position in global copper supply chains.
