Table of Contents
Topic Summary
Dubai's Trade Scale Powers Metal Wholesale
The UAE's non-oil foreign trade exceeded AED 1.7 trillion in the first half of 2025, and Jebel Ali Port ranks among the world's top container hubs. This makes Dubai a strategic base for high-volume metals and metal ores wholesale operations.
License 4662.00 Covers Core Metal Trade
The parent activity group 4662.00 allows bulk B2B trading of metals and metal ores, including iron ore shipments, aluminium ingots, and industrial metal coils. Notably, it does not permit the wholesale of metal scrap.
Trade Raw Ores Under Activity 4662.01
Activity 4662.01 licenses the wholesale of ferrous ores like iron, manganese, and chrome, as well as non-ferrous ores such as copper, bauxite, lithium spodumene, and cobalt. This sub-activity is exempt from Anti-Money Laundering DNFBP compliance requirements.
Primary-Form Metals Covered by 4662.02
Activity 4662.02 covers bulk trade of smelted, industrial-ready metals in forms like ingots, billets, cathodes, slabs, and powders. It serves manufacturers, construction suppliers, and re-export partners, and is also exempt from DNFBP compliance.
No Third-Party Approvals Required to Start
Across all reviewed sub-activities, no third-party government approvals are needed to obtain a metals and metal ores wholesale license in Dubai. This streamlines the setup process for entrepreneurs entering the sector.
AML Compliance Applies at the Parent Level
While sub-activities 4662.01 and 4662.02 are exempt from DNFBP Anti-Money Laundering requirements, the parent activity 4662.00 is subject to them. Founders should factor this into their compliance planning when selecting their business activity.
Semi-Finished Metal Products Form a Distinct Category
Activity 4662.03 addresses the wholesale of ferrous and non-ferrous semi-finished metal products not elsewhere classified, representing a further stage in the metals supply chain beyond primary forms. This allows traders to operate closer to manufacturing and fabrication demand.
Wholesale Trading Of Metals And Metal Ores in Dubai | Complete Guide
Before Dubai's glittering skyscraper frames rise, before an engine part is cast, and before a semiconductor ever conducts a signal, ores are extracted, ingots are formed, and contracts are assigned in repeating global rotations.
That's the economy founders tap when they step into the wholesale of metals and metal ores.
The UAE's non-oil foreign trade exceeded AED 1.7 trillion in the first half of 2025 and Jebel Ali Port ranks among the world's top container hubs. This means that behind every beam and façade is a supply chain powered by metals, ores, and industrial flows that move at a global scale. Imagine orchestrating high-volume iron ore shipments for steel manufacturers, supplying copper cathode batches to electronics producers before quarterly production waves, or managing gold bullion contracts allocated to certified institutional buyers across the GCC.
For entrepreneurs exploring how to start a metals and metal ores wholesale business in Dubai, this business activity group gives you the license to trade at source level.
Wholesale Of Metals And Metal Ores - 4662.00
This business activity group includes the wholesale of metals and metal ores, a volume-driven model built for B2B trade, not walk-in retail customers or shopfront sales.
It's designed for founders who want to trade in bulk, move industrial-grade batches, and operate upstream of manufacturing and construction demand cycles. You could be managing iron ore shipments booked for steel plants, aluminium ingots allocated to re-export rotations heading toward South Asia, or industrial metal coils assigned to fabrication partners supplying Dubai's construction clusters.
However, this business activity group doesn't allow the wholesale of metal scrap.
Think of yourself as the source layer; your ores and metals become the first link in every industry you supply.
Third party Approval:
No third-party approvals are needed for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance (DNFBP):
Business activity 4662.00 is subject to this requirement.
Wholesale Of Ferrous And Non-Ferrous Metal Ores - 4662.01
This business activity covers the wholesale trade of raw metallic minerals in bulk, supplying manufacturers, industrial traders, and export buyers rather than retail customers.
Ferrous ores are iron-based minerals like iron ore, manganese, and chrome deposits, while non-ferrous ores include minerals like copper, zinc, nickel, bauxite, cobalt, and other metallic minerals that industries procure at scale for production and re-export supply chains. You're licensed to import bauxite for aluminium processors, bring down lithium-rich spodumene ore to supply battery manufacturers scaling EV cars across the Gulf, or even source copper for industrial fabricators.
But you can't engage in the wholesale trade of metal scrap.
Third party Approval:
No third-party approvals are needed for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance (DNFBP):
Business activity 4662.01 is exempted from this requirement.
Wholesale Of Ferrous And Non-Ferrous Metals In Primary Forms - 4662.02
This covers the bulk trade of metals in their pure, industrial-ready forms, the stage right after smelting and long before anything becomes a retail product.
Think trading metal at volume in ingots, billets, cathodes, slabs, and powders, supplying manufacturers, construction suppliers, and re-export partners. You're able to import copper cathode shipments for UAE circuit manufacturers before quarterly production locks, supply aluminium ingots to fabrication plants fulfilling export quotas, or distribute certified steel billets for architectural frames.
But you can't engage in the wholesale trade of metal scrap.
Third party Approval:
No third-party approvals are needed for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance (DNFBP):
Business activity 4662.02 is exempted from this requirement.
Wholesale Of Ferrous And Non-Ferrous Semi-Finished Metal Products N.E.C. - 4662.03
This includes the wholesale trade of semi-finished industrial metals in bulk, materials that are shaped and processed enough for manufacturing and construction supply, but are not yet a retail product and are not scrap.
You could be supplying steel coils for mirrored architectural panels, aluminium sheets assigned to the Bentley-tier customisation workshop, or allocating copper rods to elevator makers installing premium transit systems. It's the business layer where metal moves early, documented, and certified, long before it becomes a product.
But there are limits. You can't engage in the wholesale trade of metal scrap.
Third party Approval:
No third-party approvals are needed for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance (DNFBP):
Business activity 4662.03 is subject to this requirement.
Wholesale Of Gold And Other Precious Metals - 4662.04
This business activity covers the bulk trade of certified precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, supplied directly to industrial and institutional buyers rather than retail shopfronts.
You might be supplying certified gold to jewellery manufacturers producing Eid-season collections, allocating LBMA gold to institutional buyers restocking secure vault networks, or supplying industrial silver for premium infrastructure cycles. Think of yourself as the market's supply root, where gold is weighed, verified, and documented, not displayed.
However, there are boundaries. You can't engage in the wholesale trade of metal scrap.
Third party Approval:
You'll need to get approval from SIRA (Security Industry Regulatory Agency) before your trade license is issued.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance (DNFBP):
Business activity 4662.04 is not exempt from this requirement.
| Activity Code | Activity Name | Third-Party Approval | DNFBP Compliance Required | Metal Scrap Wholesale Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4662.00 | Wholesale of Metals and Metal Ores | None | Yes | No |
| 4662.01 | Wholesale of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal Ores | None | No (exempted) | No |
| 4662.02 | Wholesale of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals in Primary Forms | None | No (exempted) | No |
| 4662.03 | Wholesale of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Semi-Finished Metal Products N.E.C. | None | Yes | No |
| 4662.04 | Wholesale of Gold and Other Precious Metals | SIRA approval required | Yes | No |
