Markets

Metals and minerals · A new desk

Metals, moved with the discipline of fuel.

Copper, cobalt, steel, aluminium, ferroalloys, battery minerals and recycled metal: the next line of business we are building, sourcing across Africa for mills, smelters and fabricators worldwide.

Our metals desk

A growing footprint across ferrous, non-ferrous and battery metals.

Our metals desk is growing out of the same thing that made us a fuel supplier: knowing how to move high-value product across African borders safely, on time and on paper.

We are lining up producers, wholesalers and industrial buyers for long-term partnerships and bespoke structures, including prepayment, offtake and cross-commodity deals that pair fuel supply with metal purchases.

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Metal and mineral groups

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Forms and grades

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Mine-to-port corridors

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Gateway ports

What we’re building

Seven metal groups, one accountable desk.

Cu · CoIn development01

Copper and cobalt

From the Copperbelt to the world.

Cathode, blister and concentrate from the Central African Copperbelt, with cobalt hydroxide alongside. We work with miners, smelters and refiners in the DRC and Zambia, and with the fabricators and traders who need dependable tonnage every month.

Register interest in copper and cobalt
Forms and grades
Grade A copper cathodeBlister copperCopper concentrateCobalt hydroxide
Sourced from
DRC (Haut-Katanga, Lualaba) · Zambia (Copperbelt)
Supplied to
Wire and cable makers · Refiners and smelters · Battery precursor plants
FeIn development02

Iron ore and steelmaking inputs

Feeding the mills that build the continent.

Lump, fines and pellets for blast furnaces and direct-reduction plants, plus billets and slabs for re-rolling mills. We match chemistry and sizing to each mill’s burden, and arrange sampling at load so there are no surprises at the furnace.

Register interest in iron ore and steelmaking inputs
Forms and grades
Lump and finesPellets and DRIBillets and slabsPig iron
Sourced from
South Africa · West Africa · Seaborne imports
Supplied to
Integrated steel mills · Re-rolling mills · Foundries
AlIn development03

Aluminium, alumina and bauxite

Specified to the alloy, delivered to the press.

Primary ingot, extrusion billet and alloys, sourced to your specification for purity, shape and carbon footprint. Upstream we move bauxite and alumina to smelters; downstream we supply the extruders, roll-formers and packaging plants serving construction, transport and consumer goods.

Register interest in aluminium, alumina and bauxite
Forms and grades
P1020 primary ingotExtrusion billetAlloy ingotAlumina and bauxite
Sourced from
Mozambique · Guinea and Ghana (bauxite) · Gulf smelters
Supplied to
Extruders and roll-formers · Packaging plants · Cable and conductor makers
HRCIn development04

Flat and long steel

Coil, rebar and sections for building East Africa.

Hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanised and pre-painted coil for roofing and fabrication, with rebar, wire rod and structural sections for construction and infrastructure. Imported through Mombasa and Dar es Salaam and trucked on to site or to your yard.

Register interest in flat and long steel
Forms and grades
HRC and CRCGalvanised and PPGI coilRebar and wire rodBeams, angles and channels
Sourced from
Asian and Gulf mills · South Africa
Supplied to
Roofing sheet makers · Contractors and EPCs · Steel fabricators
Cr · MnIn development05

Chrome and manganese

The alloys behind stainless and high-strength steel.

Chrome ore and concentrate from the Bushveld and the Great Dyke, manganese ore from Southern and West Africa, and the ferroalloys made from them. We handle grading, blending and moisture control so cargoes arrive on spec for alloy smelters and stainless mills.

Register interest in chrome and manganese
Forms and grades
Chrome ore and concentrateHigh-carbon ferrochromeManganese oreSilicomanganese
Sourced from
South Africa · Zimbabwe · Gabon and Ghana
Supplied to
Stainless steel mills · Ferroalloy smelters · Carbon steel mills
Li · CIn development06

Battery minerals

Africa’s share of the energy transition.

Lithium, graphite, cobalt and nickel are moving from African mines into the batteries that power vehicles and grids. We connect producers with converters and cell makers, with the chain-of-custody records buyers now insist on.

Register interest in battery minerals
Forms and grades
Spodumene concentratePetalite and lepidoliteNatural flake graphiteCobalt and nickel intermediates
Sourced from
Zimbabwe (lithium) · Mozambique and Tanzania (graphite) · DRC (cobalt)
Supplied to
Lithium converters · Anode and cathode makers · Battery recyclers
Fe · Cu · AlIn development07

Recycled metals

The lowest-carbon tonne is the one already mined.

Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap collected, graded and baled across East and Southern Africa, then exported under permit or sold to local mills and foundries. Recycled feed cuts the energy and emissions of every tonne of new metal made from it.

Register interest in recycled metals
Forms and grades
HMS 1 and 2Copper scrap and cableAluminium scrap and UBCStainless and alloy scrap
Sourced from
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda · Southern Africa
Supplied to
Electric arc furnaces · Secondary smelters · Foundries

The Avex difference

The mines we fuel are the mines we buy from.

Cross-commodity

Fuel in, metals out.

Most metals traders start at the port. We start at the mine, because we are already there with diesel, lubricants and parts.

  1. Backhaul by designTrucks that deliver diesel and lubricants to a mine can return loaded with cathode or concentrate, cutting empty kilometres and freight cost.
  2. One counterparty, both directionsFuel, lubricants and parts going in; metal coming out. One contract, one relationship, and the option to net one against the other.
  3. Depots on the corridorOur depots in the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Durban, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa already sit on the routes metal travels.

How we work

Mine gate to buyer’s door.

We take on as much of the chain as you need, from a single inspected truckload to a financed, multi-year offtake.

  1. 01 / 06

    Origination

    Offtake and spot purchases from miners, smelters, refiners and licensed aggregators.

  2. 02 / 06

    Finance and payment

    Prepayment, pre-export finance and letters of credit, structured so both sides are secured.

  3. 03 / 06

    Inspection and assay

    Independent sampling, weights and moisture at load and discharge, with umpire assays when it matters.

  4. 04 / 06

    Inland logistics

    Trucking, rail and bonded storage along the corridor, tracked from mine gate to quay.

  5. 05 / 06

    Shipping and paperwork

    Containers or breakbulk, export permits, certificates of origin, customs and bills of lading.

  6. 06 / 06

    Pricing and delivery

    Priced against LME and published benchmarks, delivered FCA, CIF, CFR or DAP to suit your book.

Routes to market

Where African metal meets the sea.

Landlocked mines depend on a handful of road and rail corridors. We plan every cargo around the one that is moving best that month.

  • Dar es Salaam corridor

    Lubumbashi · Kasumbalesa · Tunduma · Dar es Salaam

    Road and TAZARA rail

    The busiest road route out of the Copperbelt, and the shortest sail to Asian buyers.

  • North–South corridor

    Kolwezi · Lusaka · Beitbridge · Durban

    Road and rail

    Through Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa’s deep-water ports and smelters.

  • Lobito corridor

    Kolwezi · Dilolo · Benguela Railway · Lobito

    Rail

    Atlantic access by rail, cutting weeks off cargoes bound for Europe and the Americas.

  • Walvis Bay corridor

    Lubumbashi · Ndola · Katima Mulilo · Walvis Bay

    Road

    A dependable Atlantic road route through Zambia and Namibia.

  • Beira and Nacala corridors

    Harare · Blantyre · Beira · Nacala

    Road and rail

    Mozambique’s ports for Zimbabwean, Malawian and Zambian cargo.

  • Northern corridor

    Mombasa · Nairobi · Kampala · Kigali

    Road, SGR and rail

    Steel and aluminium imports into Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and eastern DRC.

Responsible sourcing

Traceable metal, or no deal.

Buyers, banks and regulators want to know where metal came from and how it was produced. So do we.

OECD due diligence

We follow the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for responsible mineral supply chains, with red flags escalated before a contract is signed.

Know your counterparty

KYC, sanctions and beneficial-ownership checks on every supplier and buyer, refreshed through the life of the deal.

Chain of custody

Mine licences, export permits and transport records kept together, so every lot can be traced back to where it was produced.

Lower-carbon options

Recycled feed, lower-carbon aluminium and consolidated loads for buyers working to their own emissions targets.

Early partners welcome

Offtake, supply or a single cargo.

Whether you are selling from a mine or buying for a mill, send us the outline. Early partners help shape the desk, and get first call on structure and pricing as each line opens.

Register your interestinfo@avexpetroleum.com

What helps us quote

  • Metal, form and specification
  • Tonnage and frequency, spot or term
  • Origin or delivery point
  • Preferred Incoterm and pricing basis
  • Any inspection or certification needs