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Cable Price Today: Price, Trends and Forecast 2026 | Tacto
03.08.2026
Current cable price based on the LAPP metal quotation (July LCP 1,217.87 EUR/100 kg, a record; the August value is not yet published and should land roughly at record level based on the final July LME average of 13,525 USD/t). Trend analysis on the cancelled August relief, the CBP reporting requirement in force since 30 July with the Section 232 decision pending, and sharply falling aluminium (August LAP). Scenarios and procurement recommendations for European industrial buyers.
METHODOLOGY
LCP (LAPP Copper Price) and LAP (LAPP Aluminium Price) are derived from LME cash settlements, the ECB euro reference rate, a cathode premium and ancillary surcharges. LAPP applies the previous month's average for the next month's quotation. Real cable prices additionally include cable type, metal base, construction, shielding, standards, conversion and logistics.
AT A GLANCE
- The July LCP of 1,217.87 EUR/100 kg (record value) stays set; the August value is, contrary to expectations, not yet published (as of 2 August) and, based on the final July LME average of 13,525 USD/t, should land roughly at record level.
- The August relief hoped for in the previous cycle thus fails to materialise: the July average sits only 0.4 percent below the June average, and spot closed the month at 13,834 USD/t near the July high; that already weighs on the September base.
- The CBP country-of-smelt and country-of-cast reporting requirement for wire and cable imports into the US has been in force since 30 July; the staggered-duty decision remains open.
- The aluminium relief, by contrast, strengthens: the July LME aluminium average sits 8.7 percent below June; the August LAP should fall clearly below July's 450.22 EUR/100 kg. Run the numbers on aluminium conductors now.
Contents
What is moving the price right now?
July is in the books, and the result buries the hope of August relief: the final monthly average of LME copper cash stands at 13,525 USD/t from 23 trading days, only 0.4 percent below the June average of 13,574 (Westmetall series). Under the LCP mechanics, which mirror the prior-month average, the August LCP should thus land roughly at the July record of 1,217.87 EUR/100 kg. The publication delay is unusual: the August value, normally online between the 28th and 30th of the prior month, was not yet published as of 2 August; we will check again before go-live.
The reason for the high average lies in the month's path: Chile's June recovery notwithstanding, LME stocks fell to 249,850 t by end-July, below 250,000 t for the first time since late February, and spot closed the month at 13,834 USD/t near the July high. For the LCP mechanics that is a double message: August is practically fixed, and the strong month-end sets the base for the September LCP rather higher.
The tariff question has become one step more concrete: since 30 July, the CBP country-of-smelt and country-of-cast reporting requirement for wire and cable imports into the US has been in force; the decision on the staggered duties on refined copper (15 percent from 2027, 30 percent from 2028) is still pending. Origin tracking is thus practice before the duty exists.
The countermove is happening in aluminium: the July average of the LME aluminium cash price, at around 3,156 USD/t, sits a full 8.7 percent below the June average. After the July LAP of 450.22 EUR/100 kg, the August LAP should give way clearly; the copper-aluminium ratio keeps shifting in aluminium's favour.
The secondary effect from the PCB market remains: foil makers keep prioritising HVLP grades for AI applications and pull capacity out of the cable market (NCAB).
What we watch: the delayed August publication of the LAPP quotation, the presidential decision, and the LME stock drawdown as the driver of the August average.
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What does this mean for procurement in Europe?
Strike the August relief from the calculation: the August LCP should land roughly at the July record, and the strong month-end already weighs on September. Anyone who postponed call-offs should schedule them now and hedge open H2 volumes against a further rise instead of waiting for the quotation.
Show the metal surcharge (LCP), conversion and logistics separately: the LCP sits 38 percent above the prior year, conversion costs are rising far less; without the breakdown the difference migrates into the supplier's margin.
Run the numbers on aluminium conductors now: with a July aluminium average down 8.7 percent on June, the August LAP falls clearly while the LCP stays at record level; the gap between the two has rarely been this wide.
Anyone supplying into US supply chains has been working under the reporting requirement since 30 July: demand country-of-smelt and country-of-cast documentation per line item from upstream suppliers and add an adjustment clause for the pending staggered-duty decision to H2 contracts.
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Cable Price Forecast: Our Procurement Intelligence Team's Assessment
Base Scenario
In this band over the next four to six weeks. (1) The final July average of 13,525 USD/t arithmetically fixes the August LCP at roughly record level, the hoped-for relief does not materialise, (2) the pending Section 232 decision, the LME stock drawdown below 250,000 t and the Gulf situation keep the premium in the copper market, (3) the strong July close (spot at 13,834 USD/t) sets the base for the September LCP rather higher. Only a clear spot correction in August opens the lower band.
Risk Scenario
The President confirms the staggered duties on refined copper, the LME stock drawdown below 250,000 t accelerates the August average higher, or the foil effect from the PCB market tightens supply further. Probability 30 to 35 percent over the next three months.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Most sensitive are power cables, control and automation cables, data center cables, and applications in grid, industrial, and EV charging infrastructure. These segments sit at the intersection of high metal relevance and robust demand — making price and availability pressure most visible.
Metal-driven primarily when metal surcharges or metal-adjacent components are demonstrably rising. Construction- or delivery-driven when additional requirements from termination, code compliance, shielding, short lead times, or custom configurations add cost. In practice, both layers are often working together right now.
Because the metal content share and construction vary significantly by cable type. Building wire with high copper content sees almost immediate pass-through. Complex industrial cables with significant non-metal content see a more moderated effect. The same copper chart should not automatically be applied with the same intensity to every cable type.
Copper is an important driver but not a complete reference for cable pricing. What matters for your procurement is the surcharge logic — how the metal base, metal index, and metal content share for the specific cable type feed into the price. Construction, insulation, shielding, code requirements, and logistics add further cost layers.
