According to SMM research, from May 8 to May 14, 2026, the weekly comprehensive operating rate of lead-acid battery enterprises across five provinces was 66.63%, up 16.07 percentage points WoW.
With the impact of the Labour Day holiday over, lead-acid battery enterprises generally resumed normal production, driving up the weekly lead-acid battery operating rate. Currently, apart from ESS battery enterprises which had moderate orders mainly driven by demand from data center construction, other markets including e-bike and automotive lead-acid batteries were in the traditional off-season, with most producers in a state of production cuts. Among them, the operating rate of large enterprises in the e-bike lead-acid battery segment ranged from 60% to 90%.
![Lead Prices in the Doldrums, Secondary and Primary Lead Prices Inverted [SMM Secondary Refined Lead Weekly Review]](https://imgqn.smm.cn/usercenter/xVgcv20251217171721.jpg)
![Traditional Off-Season Trend Intensified, Downstream Enterprises Only Purchasing as Needed [SMM Lead-Acid Battery Market Weekly Review]](https://imgqn.smm.cn/usercenter/qnyHQ20251217171721.jpeg)