Copper futures touched an all-time high above $6.58 per pound on May 12, 2026, capping a 40.86% gain over the prior twelve months as supply tightness collided with structural demand from grid build-out, electric vehicles, and AI data centers. Earlier in the year, the LME benchmark rallied 22% to a record $13,387 per tonne on January 6, 2026. Behind the price action lies a less-discussed story: what it actually costs the world's largest miners to pull a pound of copper out of the ground.