The most-traded March copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange slipped 0.43 percent to close at 57,880 yuan ($9,300) a tonne on Tuesday. Copper stocks in China's bonded warehouses hit a record high of more than 1 million tonnes in November, and inventories are expected to rise by around 100,000 tonnes by the end of the year due to weak domestic demand, traders said.

Copyright Reuters, 2012