| ABMS | American Bureau of Metal Statistics |
| Ag | Silver |
| AK | Alaska |
| AL | aluminum |
| A1203 | alumina, or aluminum oxide |
| ally | alloy |
| APT | ammonium paratungstate |
| AR | Arkansas |
| Ar | argon |
| As | arsenic |
| Atl | Atlantic |
| Au | gold |
| AZ | Arizona |
| B | Boron |
| backwardation | A situation in which the cash (nearby) price of a commodity is higher than the
futures price. |
| Be | beryllium |
| Bi | bismuth |
| BOM | Bureau of Mines |
| BPA | Bonneville Power Administration |
| C | carbon |
| (C) | Comex footnote |
| CA | California |
| Ca | calcium |
| carbn | carbon |
| cath | cathode |
| Cb205 | columbium pentoxide, not the mineral columbite |
| CBOT | Chicago Board of Trade |
| Cd | cadmium |
| CFTC | (US) Commodity Futures Trading Commission |
| c.i.f. | cost, insurance, and freight paid by shipper |
| CIPEC | Conseil Intergouvernmental des Pays Exportateurs de Cuivre (Intergovernmental
Council of Copper-Exporting Countries). The copper exporters' organization,
formed in 1967, headquartered in Paris whose principal members are Chile,
Peru, Zaire, and Zambia. |
| Cl | chlorine |
| CO | Colorado |
| Co | cobalt |
| Comex | The COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. A hedge market
on which gold and silver are traded. |
| conc | concentrates |
| contango | A situation in which the futures price of a commodity is higher than the cash
(nearby) price. |
| Cr | chromium |
| Cr2O3 | chromite |
| CT | Connecticut |
| Cu | copper |
| DC | District of Columbia |
| DE | Delaware |
| del | delivered |
| DLA | Defense Logistics Agency, responsible for US government stockpile metal sales,
acquisitions, and upgrading. |
| DM | German Deutschmark |
| electrltc | electrolytic |
| EPA | (US)Environmental Protection Agency |
| eqv | equivalent |
| F | fluorine |
| f.a.s. | free alongside ship |
| Fe | iron |
| ferromoly | ferromolybdenum |
| FeSi | ferrosilicon |
| FL | Florida |
| fl | Flask. A unit of measure for mercury, equal to 76 lb. |
| fndry | foundry |
| f.o.b. | Free on board. Consignment to customer with all prior charges onto customer's
conveyance, usually ship, railcar, or truck. |
| force majeure | act of God |
| FTC | (US)Federal Trade Commission |
| GA | Georgia |
| GAO | (US) General Accounting Office |
| Ge | germanium |
| gm | gram |
| GOB | good ordinary brand [European prime western-grade zinc] |
| H | hydrogen |
| He | helium |
| Hf | hafnium |
| HG | high grade [copper, tin, and zinc] |
| Hg | mercury |
| HI | Hawaii |
| hi | high |
| IA | Iowa |
| IBA | International Bauxite Association. The bauxite producers' group, formed in
March 1974 and headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica. |
| ID | Idaho |
| IL | Illinois |
| ILZSG | International Lead and Zinc Study Group |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| IMM | International Monetary Market. Also known as the Chicago Mercantile
Exchange. |
| impt | imported |
| IN | Indiana |
| In | indium |
| ingt | ingot |
| Ir | iridium |
| IRS | (US) Internal Revenue Service |
| ITA | International Trade Administration |
| ITC | (US) International Trade Commission |
| K | potassium |
| kg | kilogram |
| KLCE | Kuala Lumpur Commodity Exchange |
| KLTM | Kuala Lumpur Tin Market |
| KS | Kansas |
| kW | kilowatt |
| kWh | kilowatt-hour |
| KY | Kentucky |
| LA | Louisiana |
| lb | pound |
| Li | lithium |
| LIA | Lead Industries Association |
| lo | low |
| lt | long ton or gross ton (2.240 lb). |
| ltpy | long tons per year |
| ltu | long ton unit |
| (M) | New York Mercantile Exchange footnote |
| MA | Massachusetts |
| maj | major |
| mast | master |
| max | maximum |
| MD | Maryland |
| ME | Maine |
| mean | averaged high and low price |
| med | medium |
| Merc Ex | New York Mercantile Exchange |
| mesh | The number of wires per linear inch of a screen. Used for fine sizing. |
| Mg | magnesium |
| MI | Michigan |
| micron | One-millionth of a meter. Used for fine sizing. |
| min | minimum |
| MITI | Ministry of International Trade and Industry, a Japanese government body |
| MN | Minnesota |
| Mn | manganese |
| MO | Missouri |
| Mo | molybdenum |
| MS | Mississippi |
| MT | Montana |
| mt | metric ton (2204.62 lb) |
| mtl | metal |
| mtpd | metric tons per day |
| mtpm | metric tons per month |
| mtpy | metric tons per year |
| mtu | metric ton unit |
| MW | Megawatt. A unit of power equal to one-million watts. Often used in describing
the capacity of a power plant; e.g, “a 300-MW hydroelectric plant." |
| MW | Metals Week or Mid West |
| N | nitrogen |
| NA | North America |
| NA | not available |
| Na | sodium |
| Nb | niobium |
| NC | North Carolina |
| ND | North Dakota |
| NE | Nebraska |
| NH | New Hampshire |
| Ni | nickel |
| NJ | New Jersey |
| NM | New Mexico |
| NUM | (South Africa)National Union of Mineworkers |
| NV | Nevada |
| NY | New York |
| NYMEX | New York Mercantile Exchange |
| O | oxygen |
| official session | The morning session of the London Metal Exchange |
| OH | Ohio |
| OK | Oklahoma |
| OPIC | Overseas Private Investment Corp. Authorized by the US government to provide
expropriation insurance for private corporations operating outside the US. |
| OR | Oregon |
| Os | osmium |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| P | phosphorous |
| p | British pence |
| PA | Pennsylvania |
| Pb | lead |
| Pd | palladium |
| pellt | pellet |
| pos | position |
| prem | premium |
| primary
production | The process of producing metal from its ore, as distinct from secondary
production from scrap metal. |
| prod | producer |
| Pt | platinum |
| PW | prime western [zinc] |
| Rb | rubidium |
| Re | rhenium |
| ref | refinery |
| refinery | In copper and lead, a plant which further purifies metal produced in a smelter. In
zinc, a plant which produces purer metal than could be produced in a smelter. In
aluminum, a plant which refines bauxite into alumina. |
| Rh | rhodium |
| RI | Rhode Island |
| |
| ring dealer | A member of the London Metal Exchange allowed to trade metal in the ring |
| Ru | ruthenium |
| S | sulfur |
| Sb | antimony |
| SC | South Carolina |
| SD | South Dakota |
| Se | selenium |
| settlement
price | The last price at which a commodity is traded in a particular session. |
| SG | standard grade |
| SHG | special high grade |
| Si | silicon |
| smelter | In copper, lead, and zinc, a plant which reduces concentrate to metal. In
aluminum, a plant which upgrades alumina into metal. |
| Sn | tin |
| Sr | strontium |
| stu | short ton unit |
| Ta | tantalum |
| Ta2O5 | tantalum pentoxide, not the mineral tantalite |
| Te | tellurium |
| thr-mo | three-month |
| Ti02 | titanium dioxide, a paint base |
| TN | Tennessee |
| ton | short ton (2,000 lb) |
| tpm | short tons per month |
| tpy | short tons per year |
| tr oz | troy ounce |
| TVA | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| TX | Texas |
| U | Uranium |
| UAW | United Auto Workers |
| UNCTAD | United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |
| unfab | unfabricated |
| USBM | United States Bureau of Mines |
| USTR | United States Trade Representative |
| USW | (US) United Steelworkers Union |
| UT | Utah |
| V | vanadium |
| V205 | vanadium pentoxide |
| VA | Virginia |
| VT | Vermont |
| W | tungsten |
| WA | Washington |
| WI | Wisconsin |
| WO3 | tungsten trioxide, common designation for tungsten content |
| WV | West Virginia |
| WY | Wyoming |
| Y | yttrium |
| Zn | zinc |