SHANGHAI, Jun. 7 (SMM) --

Lead Concentrate

Imported lead concentrate maintained a MoM upward momentum during April. According to data from China Customs, lead concentrate imports were 134.7 kt in April, up 33.07% MoM, and were 488.6 kt from January to April, up 21.46% YoY. Supply of domestic lead concentrate has been tight during 2011, so MoM increases in imports were due mainly to strong demand from domestic primary lead smelters.

China imported lead concentrate from 28 countries during March, but fell to 19 in April, with Peru, Australia, Germany, and South Africa the top four suppliers. Peru supplied 23.3 kt of lead concentrate to China during April, down 38.47% from March. Australia resumed production and transportation of concentrate after environmental protection rectification, supplying 15.6 kt of lead concentrate to China in April, up 250% from March. Imports from Germany also rose significantly to 14.4 kt in April, up almost 300% from March. Imports from the top 15 supplies accounted for 92.17% of total imports.

Refined Lead Imports and Exports

According to data from China Customs, China’s refined lead imports were 903 mt in April, up 74.32% MoM, while exports were 300 mt, down 40.12% MoM and with net imports of 603 mt. However, accumulated imports and exports of refined lead reported sharp YoY declines from January to April, with imports of 2,422 mt, down 26.94% YoY, and exports of 4,194 mt, down 54.58% YoY. Suppliers of imported refined lead included South Korea and Australia, while buyers of domestic refined lead included Taiwan and Vietnam. 

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