SMM expects copper billet demand in October to remain sluggish.

Chinese customs inspections on imported recycled copper raw materials have continued to tighten, leaving a growing volume of non-compliant copper scrap held up at ports. According to SMM market checks, nearly 10,000 tonnes of copper scrap are currently waiting in Hong Kong for entry into Guangdong. Longer customs clearance times are increasing inventory and working-capital pressure on some traders. The affected cargoes are mainly No.2 copper originating from Latin America and Southern Europe. With customs inspections remaining stringent, disruptions to scrap inflows are reducing the effective availability of imported copper scrap in the Chinese market and adding to near-term supply tightness.

China's copper scrap pricing coefficients moved broadly higher this week, supported by tight invoice availability, elevated refined copper spot premiums and disruptions to overseas scrap imports. Tight domestic feedstock availability has prompted Chinese buyers to raise bids. Millberry is currently quoted at around 98.5%–99.5% of LME copper, No.1 copper at 97.5%–98.5%, and No.2 copper at around 96.5%, while some No.2 material containing gold and silver can reach around 98%. Higher Chinese bids are increasingly feeding through to overseas markets, strengthening sellers' pricing expectations and pushing up copper scrap coefficients in several regions. With China's invoice constraints yet to ease materially and imported scrap availability remaining tight, copper scrap pricing coefficients are expected to remain well supported in the near term.

[SMM Brass Rod Flash] This week (9.25-10.1), the operating rate of SMM brass rod sample enterprises was 37.90%, down 11.93 percentage points WoW. Affected by the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, enterprises arranged shutdowns one after another, and production contracted significantly. High copper prices, coupled with tightening supply of recycled brass raw materials, led to thin processing margins. Downstream pre-holiday stockpiling enthusiasm was weak, with stockpiling volumes lower than the same period last year, and destocking of finished products was slow.