# Arsenic: Correlation Prices it moves with, and why Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/correlation/ Arsenic is recovered as arsenic trioxide from the flue dust of copper and gold smelters, mainly in China and Morocco, so supply follows smelting. Small markets in wood preservatives, lead alloys and gallium arsenide chips trade on private contracts. No public price Arsenic has no public monthly price series: By-product sold on private contracts; no public monthly price series. #### What its price moves with Commodity [Cu Copper](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/copper/)By-product Many copper concentrates carry arsenic, which smelters must remove and either sell as arsenic trioxide or store as waste. Supply therefore tracks copper smelting, and rising arsenic levels in ores are a cost problem for smelters more than a source of profit. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. Commodity [Au Gold](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gold/)By-product Refractory gold ores often contain arsenopyrite, so roasting them releases arsenic that must be captured. Gold mining adds by-product supply, and the handling cost can decide whether such a gold deposit is worth developing. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. Commodity [Ga Gallium](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/)Co-input Gallium arsenide wafers for radio chips, LEDs and some solar cells use high-purity arsenic metal. This is a small but high-value use, and both elements come mainly from China, which has placed export controls on gallium. No public price for gallium, so the link is explained in words only. Commodity [Tm Timber](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lumber/)Preservative use Chromated copper arsenate was widely used to treat timber against rot and insects. Rules now limit it to industrial uses such as utility poles in many countries, shrinking what was once the largest arsenic market. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. Energy [PbA Lead-acid batteries](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_lead_acid/)Alloy use Small amounts of arsenic harden the lead grids in lead-acid batteries. Demand follows vehicle and backup battery production, a steady outlet that declines slowly as lithium-ion batteries take over more starter, backup and storage uses. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. How to read these numbers **Correlation of monthly changes** (the number in the coloured pill) compares how much each price moved, month by month, since 2006 or the first month both series exist. It runs from −1 to +1: near +1 the two usually rise and fall in the same months, near 0 there is no link, and a negative number means they tend to move in opposite directions. Above 0.7 is strong, 0.4 to 0.7 moderate, 0.2 to 0.4 weak. **12-month changes** compare year-on-year moves, which shows whether two prices share the same cycles even when the month-to-month noise differs. **Price function** is a straight-line fit of the two prices on logarithmic scales: price ≈ k × (partner price)^β. β is how much this price moves, in per cent, for a 1% move in the partner over the whole period, and R² is the share of the variation the fit explains. Two prices that both drift up with inflation can fit well without any real link, so read it together with the monthly correlation. **Lead or lag** checks whether the monthly correlation is clearly higher when one price is shifted by 1 to 6 months. Correlation is not cause. The reasons on each card explain the economic link; the numbers show how strongly it has shown up in prices. Proxy series are US producer price indexes or related prices and can blur the real link. Data: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), October 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes, IMF primary commodity prices and US EIA prices via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, retrieved November 2026. Calculations by this site. ## Other sections - [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/index.md) - [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/overview/index.md) - [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/extraction/index.md) - [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/production/index.md) - [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/stocks/index.md) - [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/cycles/index.md) - [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/trading/index.md) - [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/movement/index.md) - [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/criticality/index.md) - [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/characteristics/index.md) - [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/emissions/index.md) - [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/arsenic/links/index.md)