Demand for Copper Cathode in the North Market Cooled as Copper Prices Rebounded

This week (March 20–March 26), the operating rate of machines in China’s enamelled wire industry pulled back 0.2 percentage points MoM to 88.73%. Affected by weakening home appliance demand and fluctuations in copper prices, new orders this week pulled back 11.19 percentage points MoM, downstream pick-up of goods slowed down, finished product inventories edged up to 7.47 days, and enterprises were generally concerned about the order outlook for April.

[SMM Brass Billet Flash News] This week (3.20-3.26), the operating rate of China’s brass billet industry came in at 54.39, up slightly by 0.26 percentage points WoW. The industry as a whole maintained a mild trend, while downstream orders showed divergence. Demand in the refrigeration valve fittings segment remained steady and improved, becoming the core driver supporting enterprises’ production schedules. Orders in traditional general-use segments such as hardware and plumbing were relatively stable, and enterprises mainly focused on executing previous contracts, with a relatively cautious pace in taking new orders.

According to the latest washing machine production schedule report released by ChinaIOL, domestic sales production for washing machines in April 2026 was scheduled at 4.1 million units, down slightly by 2.4 compared to actual domestic sales in the same period last year.