SMM Weekly Operating Rate of Secondary Lead Smelters (2026.8.21-2026.8.27) [SMM Lead Weekly Review]

Published: Aug 28, 2026 13:52

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SMM News, August 28:

From August 21 to 27, 2026, the SMM weekly operating rate of secondary lead across four provinces was 40.3%, pulling back 0.11 percentage points MoM. Henan and Anhui saw slight production cuts due to tight raw material supply; small smelters in Jiangsu ramped up production as market conditions improved, while smelters in Inner Mongolia maintained the pace of resuming and ramping up production, lifting weekly production to some extent.

Looking ahead to next week, scrap battery recyclers are still holding back from selling, and the raw material side remains the key constraint on production. If arrivals of imported crude lead improve and supplement smelting raw material, the secondary lead operating rate is expected to edge up; if raw material supply shows no improvement, smelters will face significant resistance to ramping up production, and the operating rate will remain at current levels.

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.

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