Wednesday 17 June 2026

South Australia’s export market continues to go from strength to strength, with the state registering record exports helped on by another bumper return for copper.

Copper exports have surged past the $5 billion mark, with refined copper and copper products delivering more than half a billion dollars in new value in the year to April 2026.

Australian Bureau of Statistics export figures showed South Australia’s total copper exports hit a record $5.2 billion in the 12 months to April 2026, including $3.35 billion from copper and copper products, and $1.85 billion from copper ores and concentrates.

The $3.35 billion figure for refined copper and copper products is up $542.6 million on the previous 12 months – almost 20 per cent up on already sustained high export values.

The largest trading markets for South Australia copper exports are:

• India - $1.32 billion (up 195 per cent)
• Malaysia - $1.3 billion (up 50 per cent)
• China - $1.17 billion (up 14 per cent)
• Thailand - $459.9 million (up 37 per cent)
• Taiwan - $380.1 million (up 20 per cent)

A key growth market has been Southeast Asia, with more than 40 per cent (valued at $2.27 billion) of all copper exports going to the emerging economic powerhouse.

The state’s total goods exports reached yet another record high $18.24 billion this month, exceeding the previous record of $18.19 billion in February. This is an 11 per cent increase year on year, well ahead of the national growth of 3.2 per cent.