International derivatives marketplace CME Group today announced that the first trades of its U.S. Zinc Futures contracts were executed on CME Globex by Glencore and Trafigura. The first trades, executed on screen on August 20, were for September delivery.

CME Group updated its Zinc contract to U.S. duty-paid in March 2026 in response to client demand for a tool to manage U.S. pricing dynamics. As an exchange-traded, centrally cleared instrument that provides a risk management tool for the all-in U.S. zinc price, the contract will help improve accuracy, transparency and hedging optimization for producers, consumers and intermediaries.

“As geopolitical fragmentation reshapes global supply chains, regional price signals matter more than ever,” said Jin Hennig, Managing Director and Global Head of Metals at CME Group. “The U.S. zinc market increasingly moves to its own dynamics — driven by domestic policy and supply security — and our new futures contract addresses this gap by providing participants a precise tool to manage their exposure.”

CME Group was the first to introduce regional products in industrial metals, steel and battery metals to allow clients to better tailor their hedging strategies. These contracts have become essential tools for industrial metals supply chains:

• Both U.S. and European Hot-Rolled Coil (“HRC”) steel futures contracts are trading at record levels year-to-date, with U.S. HRC trading 1,483 contracts per day (29,660 short tons) and EU HRC trading 360 contracts (7,200 metric tons).
• Copper futures were up 12% Y/Y in 1H 2026, averaging 107,000 contracts per day (1 million short tons).
• Regional Aluminum Premium suite had a record year in 2025 with 864 contracts traded per day (21,600 metric tons).

The U.S. Zinc Futures contract is physically settled and listed by and subject to the rules of COMEX.