Raw Material Price Inversion and Demand Slowdown Lead to Consecutive Decline in Brass Billet Operating Rates

Published: Apr 24, 2026 09:38

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[SMM Brass Billet News Flash] This week (4.17-4.23), the operating rate of the brass billet industry was 52.91%, down 0.77 percentage points WoW. Copper prices fluctuated at highs, and enterprises mostly relied on orders on hand to sustain operations, while new orders remained persistently weak. Meanwhile, recycled brass raw materials were in tight supply, and the price inversion phenomenon became prominent, putting significant cost pressure on the production side of billet producers. By product category, demand for high-precision products remained relatively stable, while shipments of standard-specification products slowed down, leading to a slight accumulation of finished product inventories at brass billet enterprises.

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