Ningbo Zinc: Downstream Enterprises Fear High Prices and Stay on the Sidelines; Overall Trading Has Not Improved [SMM Midday Commentary]

Published: Aug 17, 2026 13:22

Save

[Ningbo Zinc: Downstream Enterprises Stayed on the Sidelines Amid High Prices, and Overall Trading Saw No Improvement] In the Ningbo market, mainstream 0# zinc traded at around 25,765-25,965 yuan/mt. Regular Ningbo brands were quoted at a premium of 0 yuan/mt against the 2609 contract and a premium of 50 yuan/mt against Shanghai spot cargo. In the Ningbo area, mainstream quotes were made against the 2609 contract...

SMM News on August 17:

In the Ningbo market, transaction prices for mainstream 0# zinc brands were around 25,765-25,965 yuan/mt. Regular Ningbo brands were quoted at spot premiums of 0 yuan/mt against the 2609 contract and 50 yuan/mt against Shanghai spot cargo, with mainstream quotes in Ningbo made against the 2609 contract. In the first time period, Yongchang, Anning, and Qilin were quoted at spot premiums of 0-10 yuan/mt against the 2609 contract, while Honglu -v (99.998) was quoted at a spot premium of 50 yuan/mt against the 2609 contract; in the second time period, traders’ quotes were unchanged from the previous time period. Over the weekend, long-term contract cargoes arrived in the Ningbo market one after another. Today, there were more traders selling overall, but futures prices rose markedly in the morning, downstream alloy plants showed poor purchase willingness, and overall spot transactions were sluggish, with spot premiums consolidating on a subdued note.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

Images in this article contain AI-translated captions for reference only.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

27 mins ago

[SMM Analysis] Zinc Export Window Stays Open — Where Are Zinc Prices Headed in August?

As of July 31, the SHFE zinc front-month contract settled at RMB 24,800/mt, up RMB 190/mt month-on-month, a gain of 0.77%. Zinc prices traded at elevated levels throughout July, dipping to a monthly low of RMB 24,070/mt in early July before peaking at RMB 25,035/mt toward month-end, with prices holding broadly firm at the high end of the range.

27 mins ago

34 mins ago

Zinc Ingot Export Window Remained Open; How Will Zinc Prices Move in August? [SMM Analysis]

[Zinc Ingot Export Window Remained Open; Where Will Zinc Prices Head in August?] In August, zinc concentrate TCs continued to decline MoM. SMM’s domestic zinc concentrate TCs fell to -1,550 yuan/mt Zn, once again setting a new record low. However, supported by profits from by-products such as sulphuric acid and metal-rich materials, coupled with the gradual resumption of production at some smelters following earlier maintenance, SMM expected refined zinc production to increase MoM in August.....

34 mins ago

1 hour ago

SMM Flash

According to SMM, in recent days, amid zinc prices fluctuating at highs, downstream purchasing decreased. Coupled with the approach of delivery, social inventory ended the destocking driven by last week’s zinc ingot export arbitrage and shifted to an inventory buildup of 5,700 mt. SMM’s total zinc ingot inventory increased again to 270,000 mt.

1 hour ago