The average operating rate of primary lead smelters in three provinces this week (January 30, 2026 - February 05, 2026) was 61.10%, down 5.31 percentage points WoW. This week, smelters in Henan and Hunan saw lower operating rates due to shutdowns for maintenance. A smelter in Henan may begin trial operation of a new production line after the Chinese New Year holiday, with a slight production increase expected in March. A smelter in Yunnan, affected by factors such as adjustments to raw material and lead metal production plans, started its regular February maintenance ahead of schedule this week and is expected to resume by month-end. Another smelter in the region implemented minor production cuts this week and is expected to enter a shutdown for maintenance next week. In other regions, smelters in South China and East China maintained stable production this week after resuming from routine maintenance.
