METALSGOWHERE ATLAS · SUPPLY RESEARCH
Methods for reading metals supply data
Use definitions, reporting periods, boundaries and original sources to decide what a metals supply record can support.
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Production versus capacity
Output over a period is not rated capacity; material, scope, units and dates must match.
Country totals and selected projects
A selected project collection is not a national total; inclusion is not coverage.
Copper product forms
Ore mass, copper contained in concentrate, cathode, anode and payable metal describe different measures.
Reading production guidance
Guidance is an expectation for an explicit period; a revision is not realised output.
Basis changes between periods
Different bases or ownership boundaries cannot be compared directly across periods.
Selection is not a ranking
Inclusion is a research selection, not a world production ranking or operating-status certification.
Source editions and estimates
A source publication year and the observation year are different; retain estimates and revisions.
Aluminium stages are not additive
Bauxite, alumina and primary metal are successive stages; adding their masses double-counts material.
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Continue with the source record
Keep the material, period and reporting boundary explicit as you move from a country observation to a selected project.