London zinc rose for a fourth consecutive session on Tuesday to its highest in more than five years, on expectations of tight supplies after Glencore said it had closed one of its mines in Australia.

Copper traded near its highest in a month, supported by an improved demand outlook in China.

Analysts said a higher cost of production following a rally in coal prices was underpinning base metals.

This round of rally is driven by coal prices which has made expensive the cost of producing electricity, said Chris Wu, an analyst at CRU.

We are also seeing higher premiums for copper cathodes.

The benchmark zinc contract on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.5 per cent at $2,485 a tonne by 0710 GMT, touching its highest since August 2011.

Shanghai zinc finished up 3 per cent at 19,795 yuan a tonne.

Glencores Black Star Open Cut mine in Queensland, part of the Mount Isa Mines complex, has been put on care and maintenance after mining out its existing reserve, the company said in a statement on Monday.

Analysts say copper prices have been supported by stimulus packages in top consumer China.

China accounts for nearly half of global copper demand estimated at around 22 million tonnes this year. Chinese consumers are expected to import more over the coming months due to stronger local demand.

LME copper added 0.4 percent to $4,872.50 a tonne, extending gains for a seventh straight session. The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed 0.8 percent higher at $38,720 yuan a tonne.