TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 1,997
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Getting worse before it gets better.
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If, like me, you've been watching the memory supply crisis escalate from between your fingers, then I don't need to tell you just how expensive some key PC components have become. Well, it's not just silicon wafers seeing runaway pricing these days, but even more foundational materials like copper foil.
Mitsui Kinzoku is arguably the biggest supplier of copper foil, a key component for printed circuit boards. The company recently sent a letter to its customers notifying them of a whopping 12% USD price increase for all of its MicroThin copper foil products. This price increase is set to come into effect in April 2026 (via Jukan on X).
The Mitsui Kinzoku letter says that current copper material prices, plus labour, have resulted in soaring manufacturing costs for its foil products, and the wider copper market has been pretty tumultuous in recent months, to say the least.
According to Bloomberg, copper prices recently saw an all-time high in January 2026, rising by 2.3% in February alone, and settling at $13,166.50 a ton on the London Metal Exchange last month. This is in part due to the unpredictable shifts of US government policy, but also operational difficulties, and an ore shortage. Even so, that's done little to slow a record output of 1.2 million tons from copper smelters.
Still, Trump's tariff agenda has created anxiety in the home market, leading to the US importing 1.7 million metric tons of copper last year—double the amount from 12 months previous—ending up with a massive stockpile. You'd think all that supply could match even an outsized demand, but for the time being futures prices have remained sky-high due to, as Bloomberg puts it, 'bullish investors'.
With all that context in mind, you should now have a better understanding of the challenging landscape that led to Thermal Grizzly getting hit by a 40,000 euro metal scam (and der8auer also discussed rising copper prices back in February).
Now, with that background down, let's talk about copper foil specifically. When you consider that manufacturers based in China account for about 80% of production capacity, tariff anxiety is thrown into sharp relief. Copper-clad laminate (CCL) suppliers have been trying to reckon with the challenging landscape of rising material expenses and copper foil processing costs since last year, according to DigiTim...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
If, like me, you've been watching the memory supply crisis escalate from between your fingers, then I don't need to tell you just how expensive some key PC components have become. Well, it's not just silicon wafers seeing runaway pricing these days, but even more foundational materials like copper foil.
Mitsui Kinzoku is arguably the biggest supplier of copper foil, a key component for printed circuit boards. The company recently sent a letter to its customers notifying them of a whopping 12% USD price increase for all of its MicroThin copper foil products. This price increase is set to come into effect in April 2026 (via Jukan on X).
The Mitsui Kinzoku letter says that current copper material prices, plus labour, have resulted in soaring manufacturing costs for its foil products, and the wider copper market has been pretty tumultuous in recent months, to say the least.
According to Bloomberg, copper prices recently saw an all-time high in January 2026, rising by 2.3% in February alone, and settling at $13,166.50 a ton on the London Metal Exchange last month. This is in part due to the unpredictable shifts of US government policy, but also operational difficulties, and an ore shortage. Even so, that's done little to slow a record output of 1.2 million tons from copper smelters.
Still, Trump's tariff agenda has created anxiety in the home market, leading to the US importing 1.7 million metric tons of copper last year—double the amount from 12 months previous—ending up with a massive stockpile. You'd think all that supply could match even an outsized demand, but for the time being futures prices have remained sky-high due to, as Bloomberg puts it, 'bullish investors'.
With all that context in mind, you should now have a better understanding of the challenging landscape that led to Thermal Grizzly getting hit by a 40,000 euro metal scam (and der8auer also discussed rising copper prices back in February).
Now, with that background down, let's talk about copper foil specifically. When you consider that manufacturers based in China account for about 80% of production capacity, tariff anxiety is thrown into sharp relief. Copper-clad laminate (CCL) suppliers have been trying to reckon with the challenging landscape of rising material expenses and copper foil processing costs since last year, according to DigiTim...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?