According to SMM survey, operating rates at Chinese primary lead smelters fell in April as expected due to maintenance at many smelters.
Most smelters in Henan, Yunnan, Hunan and Shandong started to conduct maintenance in the second half of April, and the maintenance at some smelters lasted until May.
As the maintenance was mainly undertaken by large smelters, the impact on output was significant.
There were smelters in Henan ramping up new production capacity in April, and small and medium-sized smelters in Hunan and Yunnan also resumed production. But these increases in output still failed to stop the decline in China’s refined lead output in April.
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