About Us

The Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation owns and operates the only copper smelter and refinery in the Philippines.

PASAR´s primary product is electrolytic copper cathode, which the company has been producing for 25 years. Its original copper cathode brand, “PASAR”, was registered in 1984 with the London Metal Exchange (LME) as Grade A Copper and in the Commodity Exchange Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) as COMEX Grade 1 Copper. In 2007, PASAR began the conversion of its tankhouse from conventional starting sheet electrorefining to the ISA Process, which was completed in March 2008. The production of “PASAR” brand cathodes ceased on March 20, 2008. The ISA-type cathodes currently being produced now carry the brand name “PSR ISABEL”, which has been registered with the LME as Grade A Copper and has also been registered with the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) under its Cu-CATH-1 quality qualification.

The location of the PASAR copper smelter and refinery in Leyte in the central Philippines has advantages for the company and its partners. Electric power is readily available from various sources of energy within the area. PASAR is equipped with its own port, a deep-harbor facility which can accommodate vessels with a displacement of up to 50,000 metric tons (mt). It is a multi-purpose port that is composed of two berths which handle both inbound and outbound cargoes. The smelter and refinery lie at the center of the Philippine archipelago, ready to serve the needs of the country’s reviving mining industry. 

PASAR’s strategic location in the Pacific Rim allows access to copper concentrate supplies from around the world including countries like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Another advantage is its proximity to the refined copper markets of China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan.

The plant complex includes pollution abatement facilities, port and bulk handling facilities, an airstrip, a medical facility, as well as housing, recreational and educational facilities for company personnel and their dependents.