How to Buy Industrial Metals on Trading 212: AIGI Explained

Published 3 August 2026

You can get exposure to a basket of industrial metals, the workhorse metals behind construction, wiring and manufacturing, 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 industrial metals on Trading 212, what sits inside the basket, and how to place your order.

Industrial metals rise and fall with the health of the global economy, driven by building, factories and, increasingly, the electric grid. A basket spreads your money across the main ones in a single trade. If you would rather target a single metal, we also cover how to do that using individual products on Trading 212.

Key Takeaways

• Industrial metals are bought through a futures-based commodity ETC, not physical metal or mining shares.
• The main option available on Trading 212 is WisdomTree Industrial Metals (AIGI), which tracks the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex.
• The basket holds aluminium, copper, nickel and zinc; lead is a separate product, not part of this basket.
• AIGI trades in US dollars with no GBP line, so a pound account pays the 0.15% currency fee on the buy and the sell.
• The ongoing charge is around 0.49% a year, and because it is futures-based, the roll can help or hurt returns.

What You Are Actually Buying

Buying industrial metals on Trading 212 does not mean bars of aluminium or copper arriving at your door, and it does not mean buying mining shares either. Owning the metals physically would be impractical, and mining companies behave like a leveraged, higher-risk bet on the metal rather than tracking the price itself.

Instead, you buy an Exchange-Traded Commodity (ETC) that tracks the price of a basket of industrial-metal futures. Rather than storing physical metal, it uses futures contracts to follow the market, with collateral held to back the position. Industrial metals are one corner of a wider asset class, and our guide to buying commodities covers the full range.

What Is Inside the Basket?

WisdomTree Industrial Metals (AIGI) tracks the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex, holding the four base metals used in the Bloomberg Commodity Index: aluminium, copper, nickel and zinc.

Copper and aluminium usually take the largest weights, with nickel and zinc smaller. Notably, lead is not in this basket, so if you want lead exposure you would add it separately.

Because the basket spreads across several metals, a sharp move in one is diluted by the others, which makes it a tidy way to add an industrial-metals sleeve to a portfolio without betting on a single metal.

Building Your Own Basket

If you would rather set your own weights, you can combine individual metal ETCs.

For copper, our copper guide covers the WisdomTree lines and the roll yield. Aluminium is a major slice, and our aluminium guide walks through it.

For zinc, our zinc guide covers the single ETC. And nickel, the most volatile of the four, is covered in our nickel guide.

Two related products sit alongside the basket. Lead is not in the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex, so buying lead covers it on its own.

For a forward-looking mix tied to batteries and the grid, our energy transition metals guide covers a broader thematic basket.

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

The exposure is futures-based, so the ETC rolls contracts forward as they near expiry. Depending on the shape of each metal’s futures curve, that roll can add to or subtract from returns, so the basket may not track the headline spot prices exactly. This is normal for futures-based commodity exposure.

On costs, WisdomTree Industrial Metals is priced in US dollars and currently has no pound-denominated line, 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 0.49% 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 Industrial Metals on Trading 212: Step by Step

Step 1: The Search

Open the search, the magnifying glass icon, and type Industrial Metals. Filter to the ETFs section to skip leveraged products and land on the standard tracker.

 

 

Step 2: Choosing Your Product

At the time of writing, the main option available on Trading 212 is WisdomTree Industrial Metals (AIGI), which tracks the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex across aluminium, copper, nickel and zinc.

Check the name says “Industrial Metals” rather than a single metal or an equity miners fund. 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 0.49%, and check the currency, which will read USD for AIGI. This is also where you can confirm it is the futures-based 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 Industrial Metals (AIGI) is the simplest way to hold the base metals in one trade on Trading 212, spreading across aluminium, copper, nickel and zinc.

Bear in mind it is priced in dollars, so a pound account pays the currency fee, and the exposure is futures-based. If you have a view on a single metal, a dedicated ETC may fit better, and lead sits outside this basket.

FAQ

What Is in the Industrial Metals Basket?

WisdomTree Industrial Metals (AIGI) holds aluminium, copper, nickel and zinc, the base metals in the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex. Lead is not included.

Is It an ETF of Mining Shares?

No. It is a commodity ETC that tracks metal futures, not the shares of miners, so it moves with the metal prices rather than company earnings.

Does It Have a Currency Fee?

Yes, if your account is in a currency other than US dollars. Because AIGI 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 0.49% a year.

Can I Hold Industrial Metals in an ISA?

Yes. Industrial metal ETCs can be held in a Stocks and Shares ISA, which shelters any gains from tax.

How Is This Different From Copper Alone?

Copper is a single metal, while this basket also holds aluminium, nickel and zinc, so it is more diversified and less exposed to any one metal.