Covered Country(ies) as defined by the United States Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and A smelter or refiner is a company that procures and processes mineral ore, slag and/or materials from recycled or scrap sources into refined metal or metal containing intermediate products. The output can be pure (99.5% or greater) metals, powders, ingots, bars, grains, oxides or salts. The terms “smelter” and “refiner” are used interchangeably throughout various publications.