Top 9 ASX copper stocks to watch in 2026

Copper runs through electrical wiring, EV motors and power grids, and every company on this list is in the business of finding or extracting it. The nine stocks cover a wide spectrum – BHP Group ($BHP) and Rio Tinto ($RIO) are diversified resource companies where copper sits alongside iron ore and other materials, while copper-focused miners like Capstone Copper ($CSC) centre their operations on the metal.

How we built this list: We selected these companies based on their industry and ordered them by market capitalisation. Prices are updated daily, and the list and supporting content are reviewed roughly every quarter. All data is sourced from Stake. This list isn't a recommendation and isn't ordered by suitability.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Source: Stake market data. Figures in A$. Data updated as of 21 August 2026.

✅ Learn more: Top 10 ASX mining stocks to watch in 2026→

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1. BHP Group ($BHP)

BHP Group (BHP) share price over the last year: started at A$43.14, ended at A$65.16, a change of +51.0%. Range over the period: high A$65.75, low A$39.64. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $65.16 · Daily: -0.9% · Market cap: $331.29B · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

BHP Group ($BHP) runs three underground copper-gold mines in South Australia – Olympic Dam, Prominent Hill and Carrapateena – and its Copper segment also pulls out silver, zinc, molybdenum and uranium alongside the headline metal. That makes copper one part of a much broader operation: $BHP's other segments cover iron ore and metallurgical coal, with the company also producing nickel and potash.

Under CEO Brandon Craig, the company employs 39,267 people across operations that stretch from Australia into North America, South America, Europe and across Asia. For investors focused on copper specifically, $BHP delivers exposure to the metal bundled with the stability – and dilution – of a large diversified resources business.

2. Rio Tinto ($RIO)

Rio Tinto (RIO) share price over the last year: started at A$115.42, ended at A$175.38, a change of +51.9%. Range over the period: high A$194.47, low A$113.57. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $175.38 · Daily: 1.4% · Market cap: $247.70B · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

Copper sits alongside iron ore, aluminium and lithium inside Rio Tinto's ($RIO) portfolio. The company mines and processes materials across more than 34 countries and six continents, with Simon Trott serving as chief executive.

The copper segment covers mining and refining of the metal, with gold, silver and molybdenum produced as by-products. Exploration activities run alongside the core refining work, extending the segment's scope beyond current producing assets.

Rio Tinto's ($RIO) iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia illustrate the company's overall scale: 18 mines, four port terminals and a rail network stretching nearly 2,000 kilometres. The breadth of that portfolio means copper is one of several commodities shaping how $RIO performs.

3. Capstone Copper ($CSC)

Capstone Copper (CSC) share price over the last year: started at A$10.83, ended at A$15.57, a change of +43.8%. Range over the period: high A$17.54, low A$9.60. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $15.57 · Daily: 0.5% · Market cap: $12.45B · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

Capstone Copper ($CSC) is a pure-play copper miner with four operating assets spread across Arizona, Mexico and Chile. Its Pinto Valley mine in the U.S. sits alongside the Cozamin copper-silver mine in Zacatecas, Mexico, while in Chile's Atacama region it holds a 70% stake in the Mantoverde copper-gold mine and the fully permitted Santo Domingo copper-iron-gold project.

Under chief executive Cashel Meagher, $CSC also controls the Sierra Norte iron oxide copper gold deposit in Atacama – a tenement covering more than 7,000 hectares that remains at exploration stage. That pipeline means the company's copper exposure doesn't stop at its current producing mines.

4. Sandfire Resources Limited ($SFR)

Sandfire Resources Limited (SFR) share price over the last year: started at A$12.64, ended at A$21.65, a change of +71.3%. Range over the period: high A$21.65, low A$12.21. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $21.65 · Daily: 0.8% · Market cap: $10.11B · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

Sandfire Resources Limited ($SFR) holds copper assets across four continents, with operations running from the Bryah Basin in Western Australia through to Spain, Botswana, Namibia and the United States. Its Western Australian operations centre on the DeGrussa and Monty copper-gold mines, while the MATSA complex in Spain comprises three underground polymetallic mines.

The Motheo Copper Mine in Botswana anchors $SFR's footprint along the Kalahari Copper Belt, with exploration activity extending into Namibia. The company also holds the Black Butte Copper Project in central Montana, which is still in evaluation.

5. Develop Global Limited ($DVP)

Develop Global Limited (DVP) share price over the last year: started at A$3.96, ended at A$5.23, a change of +32.1%. Range over the period: high A$7.51, low A$3.16. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $5.23 · Daily: 1.2% · Market cap: $1.73B · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

Develop Global Limited ($DVP) operates on two fronts: an underground mining services division called Develop Mining Services, and a portfolio of base metals exploration and development projects. The Sulphur Springs project sits about 144 kilometres southeast of Port Hedland in Western Australia, across a 27-kilometre corridor called the Panorama Trend. Over six targets along that corridor have returned commercial-grade copper and zinc intersections. The Woodlawn project in New South Wales adds further copper exposure alongside zinc, lead, gold and silver.

6. Marimaca Copper ($MC2)

Marimaca Copper (MC2) share price over the last year: started at A$9.70, ended at A$7.95, a change of −18.0%. Range over the period: high A$13.01, low A$7.02. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $7.95 · Daily: -1.9% · Market cap: $1.11B · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

Marimaca Copper Corp. ($MC2) is a Canada-based exploration and development company with its focus firmly on northern Chile. Its principal asset is the Marimaca Copper Project, sitting in the Antofagasta Region about 25 kilometres from the port of Mejillones – a location that puts it relatively close to export infrastructure by mining-project standards.

The project combines wholly owned concessions with adjacent claims over which $MC2 holds rights to explore and extract resources. The company also holds an option to acquire the Pampa Medina project, giving it a secondary avenue for growth beyond Marimaca. CEO Hayden Locke leads the company as it advances these Chilean assets through the development pipeline.

7. Aeris Resources ($AIS)

Aeris Resources (AIS) share price over the last year: started at A$0.21, ended at A$0.46, a change of +122.0%. Range over the period: high A$0.68, low A$0.20. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $0.46 · Daily: 4.6% · Market cap: $681.2M · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

Aeris Resources ($AIS) runs copper, gold and zinc operations across three Australian states. Its Tritton Copper Operations mine in central New South Wales is the company's copper heartland, extracting ore near Nyngan and Cobar. The Jaguar operation in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields adds zinc, copper, gold and silver to the mix, while the Cracow underground mine in central Queensland contributes gold.

$AIS also holds the Stockman project – an advanced polymetallic development in Victoria's East Gippsland region, roughly 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. That puts the company somewhere between pure-play copper exposure and a broader base metals story, with gold and zinc output sitting alongside the copper production.

8. AIC Mines ($A1M)

AIC Mines (A1M) share price over the last year: started at A$0.34, ended at A$0.80, a change of +138.8%. Range over the period: high A$0.82, low A$0.32. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $0.80 · Daily: 3.2% · Market cap: $638.1M · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

AIC Mines Limited ($A1M) centres its operations on the Eloise Copper Mine, an underground mine about 155 kilometres east-southeast of Mt Isa in North Queensland. The mine produces copper concentrate for sale, making it $A1M's primary revenue source. CEO Aaron Colleran leads the company across both mine operations and an active exploration program.

Within the Eloise project area, $A1M holds the Jericho, Sandy Creek and Artemis copper deposits, providing more ground to develop close to the existing mine. The exploration portfolio reaches beyond North Queensland too – the Delamerian Project covers three large licences in western New South Wales. The Pyramid and Windsor base metal projects sit south of Charters Towers, with the Lamil and Peake and Denison copper prospects also part of the broader pipeline.

9. 29Metals Limited ($29M)

29Metals Limited (29M) share price over the last year: started at A$0.26, ended at A$0.33, a change of +25.3%. Range over the period: high A$0.61, low A$0.22. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: $0.33 · Daily: 3.1% · Market cap: $577.5M · Sector: Basic Materials · Industry: Metals & Mining

29Metals Limited ($29M) mines and sells copper, alongside other base and precious metals, across two countries. Its assets sit in Australia and Chile, giving the company a footprint across both established and historically under-explored ground.

The Golden Grove operations in Western Australia include several projects in close proximity, with the Cervantes project lying beneath the existing Scuddles underground mine. In Chile, $29M holds the Redhill exploration asset. CEO James Palmer oversees a business that straddles active production and ongoing exploration development.

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Common questions

How to invest in copper stocks in Australia?

ASX-listed copper stocks can be bought and sold through a share trading platform using their ticker codes, the same way as any other listed share. This list covers a wide range of company types – from large diversified miners with copper as one of several segments to dedicated copper producers and earlier-stage explorers – so the type of company you choose shapes the nature of your copper exposure. Each trades during ASX hours, and prices update throughout the session.

What are the key risks of copper stocks?

The copper price is set on global commodity markets and can move sharply on shifts in industrial demand, supply disruptions or changes in broader economic conditions – and the share prices of copper companies tend to follow. Beyond price exposure, mining companies face operational risks: cost overruns, production shortfalls and environmental or regulatory hurdles. For explorers and developers, there's also the possibility that a project doesn't reach production, or takes longer and costs more than planned. Companies operating across multiple countries carry geopolitical risk and currency risk on top of that, since revenues and costs may be denominated in currencies other than the Australian dollar.

How do diversified miners differ from pure-play copper companies?

Companies like $BHP and $RIO produce copper alongside iron ore, aluminium and other commodities, so their revenue – and their share price – doesn't move purely with copper. Dedicated copper miners draw most of their revenue from copper production, giving them closer exposure to copper price movements. Further along the risk spectrum, exploration and development companies may hold copper assets without yet generating meaningful production revenue, which introduces a different set of considerations around project timelines and funding.

What drives the copper price?

Copper is priced on global commodity exchanges and reflects the balance between mine supply and demand from industrial users – electricity infrastructure, construction and manufacturing account for a large share of consumption. On the supply side, mine output levels, processing capacity and the time required to bring new deposits into production all influence how prices move. Because developing a new copper mine typically takes many years, supply adjustments tend to be slow, which can amplify price swings when demand shifts.

More resources

✅ Top 5 ASX silver stocks to watch in 2026→

✅ Top 7 ASX uranium stocks to watch in 2026→

✅ Top 7 ASX iron ore stocks to watch in 2026→

Disclaimer

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. When you invest, your capital is at risk. You should consider your own investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs before making an investment decision. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may receive back less than your original investment. As always, do your own research and consider seeking appropriate financial advice before investing.

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