Glossary · Economics
All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC)
Total cost per ounce (or pound) to keep an operating mine running — cash cost plus sustaining capex plus G&A.
AISC is the producer's headline cost-per-unit metric. It includes cash cost (mining + processing + on-site G&A + royalties + refining) plus sustaining capex (capital to maintain current production) plus corporate G&A. Below AISC, the operation is losing money. AISC is reported per ounce of gold/silver, per pound of copper, per pound of nickel, etc. Producers with consistently low AISC (lower decile) are the most resilient through commodity-price downcycles.