In the international market, the basic metals are mainly traded in futures, among which copper, aluminum and zinc have a large trading volume. The main exchanges include London Metal Exchange (LME), the New York Mercantile Exchange (COMEX) and Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE).

Basic metals, in a broad sense, refer to all metals except precious metals, and in a narrow sense, refer to commonly used metals widely used in national economy and social aspects, generally including copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, iron, manganese and tin.