Copper can be produced either pyrometallurgically or hydrometallurgically. The hydrometallurgical route is used only for a very limited amount of the world’s copper production and normally only considered in connection to in-situ leaching of copper ores; from an environmental point of view this is a questionable production route.

Several different processes can be used for copper production. The old traditional process is based on roasting, smelting in reverbatory furnaces or electric furnaces for more complex ores, producing matte and converting for production of blister copper which is further refined to cathode copper.