How to Buy Energy Transition Metals on Trading 212: WTMA Explained

Published 3 August 2026

You can get exposure to the metals behind the shift to clean energy, from electric vehicles to solar, wind and the power grid, through a single investment. It trades on the stock market just like a share, so you can buy and sell it straight from your Trading 212 account. This guide shows exactly how to buy energy transition metals on Trading 212, what sits inside the basket, and how to place your order.

Electrifying transport and the grid needs a lot of metal, and this is a themed basket built around that demand. It is a way to back the energy transition through the raw materials rather than the companies. If you would rather back the miners instead, we explain that difference below.

Key Takeaways

• Energy transition metals are bought through a futures-based commodity ETC, not physical metal or mining shares.
• The main option available on Trading 212 is WisdomTree Energy Transition Metals (WTMA), which tracks a basket of metals tied to the energy transition.
• The basket spans copper, nickel, aluminium, zinc, tin, lead, silver, platinum, lithium and cobalt.
• This is the commodity version; WisdomTree also runs a separate miners equity fund, which behaves quite differently.
• WTMA trades in US dollars, so a pound account pays the 0.15% currency fee, and the ongoing charge is around 0.45% a year.

What You Are Actually Buying

Buying energy transition metals on Trading 212 does not mean metal delivered to you, and in this case it does not mean buying mining shares either. Instead, you buy an Exchange-Traded Commodity (ETC) that tracks the price of a basket of transition-linked metals.

Rather than holding physical metal, it follows the market through a rules-based commodity index, with collateral held to back the position. These metals are one corner of a wider asset class, and our guide on the wider commodities market covers the full range.

Commodity ETC vs the Miners Equity Fund

This is an important distinction the name can blur. WisdomTree Energy Transition Metals (WTMA) is a commodity ETC, so it tracks the metal prices themselves.

WisdomTree also offers a separate energy transition metals and rare earths miners fund, which holds company shares and behaves like an equity investment, moving on earnings and sentiment rather than the metal prices. If you want the raw-material exposure, WTMA is the commodity route.

What Is Inside the Basket?

WTMA tracks a rules-based index of metals central to electrification: copper, nickel, aluminium, zinc, tin, lead, silver and platinum, plus smaller battery-specific weights in lithium and cobalt. The weights are reset at each rebalance to reflect the theme rather than a single metal.

Several of these overlap with the base metals, so it can sit alongside a broader basket rather than replace it. Our guide to the industrial metals basket covers the core base metals if you want that instead.

Things to Watch Out For (Fees, Currency and the Theme)

The exposure is futures-based and thematic, so it can behave differently from a plain base-metals basket, and the battery metals in particular can be volatile. As with any futures-based product, rolling contracts forward can add to or subtract from returns, so it may not track headline spot prices exactly.

On costs, WisdomTree Energy Transition Metals is currently priced in US dollars, so a GBP account pays Trading 212’s 0.15% currency conversion fee on both the buy and the sell. The ongoing charge, shown as the expense ratio, is around 0.45% a year, and using a limit order helps you control your entry price.

The ETC Questionnaire

There is also one quick step to know about before your first purchase. Because ETCs are classed as complex products, Trading 212 may ask you to complete a short appropriateness questionnaire before you can buy one. Our guide to the Trading 212 ETC questionnaire explains exactly what it asks and how to complete it.

How to Buy Energy Transition Metals on Trading 212: Step by Step

Step 1: The Search

Open the search, the magnifying glass icon, and type Energy Transition Metals. Take care to pick the commodity ETC rather than the miners equity fund, which has a similar name.

 

Step 2: Choosing Your Product

At the time of writing, the main option available on Trading 212 is WisdomTree Energy Transition Metals (WTMA), the commodity basket. Check the name does not say “Miners” or “Rare Earths Miners”, which is the equity version.

Note that it currently trades in US dollars, as there is no pound-denominated line at the time of writing. Fund availability can change, so it is worth checking Trading 212 for the latest options before you buy.

 

Step 3: Checking the Details

Click into the product and scroll to Instrument Details. Confirm the ongoing charge, shown as the expense ratio, is around 0.45%, and check the currency, which will read USD for WTMA. This is also where you can confirm it is the commodity ETC rather than an equity fund.

 

 

Step 4: Market vs Limit Orders

When you press buy you have a choice in the top right.

A market order buys instantly at the current price, which is convenient but can slip if the price moves while it processes.

 

A limit order lets you set the maximum you will pay and only fills if the price dips to your level.

 

Market and limit orders are just the starting point. Trading 212 also offers stop orders, stop-limit orders, and other tools that can help you buy at a specific price or protect against sudden drops. For a full breakdown of how each order type works and when to use them, see our guide on Trading 212 order types.

Conclusion

For most people, WisdomTree Energy Transition Metals (WTMA) is a simple way to back the metals behind electrification in one trade on Trading 212, through the commodity prices rather than the miners.

Bear in mind it is priced in dollars, so a pound account pays the currency fee, and the theme can be volatile. If you would rather own the base metals on their own, the industrial metals basket is the plainer option.

FAQ

Is This Commodities or Mining Shares?

WTMA is a commodity ETC that tracks metal prices. WisdomTree runs a separate miners equity fund for those who want company shares instead.

What Metals Does It Hold?

It spans copper, nickel, aluminium, zinc, tin, lead, silver and platinum, plus smaller weights in lithium and cobalt for the battery theme.

Does It Have a Currency Fee?

Yes, if your account is in a currency other than US dollars. Because WTMA is priced in US dollars, Trading 212’s 0.15% currency conversion fee applies each time you buy or sell, so a pound account pays it on both trades. The ongoing charge is around 0.45% a year.

Can I Hold It in an ISA?

Yes. This ETC can be held in a Stocks and Shares ISA, which shelters any gains from tax.

How Is It Different From Industrial Metals?

The industrial metals basket holds the four core base metals, while this basket is themed around electrification and adds metals like lithium, cobalt, tin and silver.