LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - CME Group ( CME ) has

received an application to list a copper warehouse in a suburb

of Chicago, a notice from ​the U.S. commodity exchange operator

shows, ‌as the prospect of import tariffs has led traders ⁠to

stockpile.

Kodiak Warehouse LLC has applied to take ⁠copper deliverable

against the CME's Comex copper ‌futures in ‌Lemont,

Illinois, according to the notice dated February 18 that ​Reuters

saw on Thursday.

CME did ‌not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If approved, the Kodiak site would ​be the CME's ​only

approved base ‌metals warehouse in Illinois, a list of storage

locations on the CME website shows.

Total CME ⁠copper warehouse capacity, all in the ⁠United

States, is 1.1 million short tons and of that over half is in

the state of Louisiana, where sources say even the vast ⁠New

Orleans ‌hub is getting full.

Traders have ‌increased U.S.-bound shipments ahead of possible

import tariffs from ⁠next year pushing up Comex copper stocks

to a record 595,518 short tons, or 540,245 metric

tons.

Kodiak's application was the fourth to the CME for a new

copper storage facility this year, although one ​of these has

been withdrawn.

The London Metal Exchange has warehouses in Chicago,

although these have not held ​any copper since ‌2022

.