Slow demand erodes spot zinc premiums 

Published: Dec 12, 2018 15:07
In Shanghai, 0# common brand was mostly offered at a premium of 270-280 yuan/mt over the SHFE 1901 contract this morning

SHANGHAI, Dec 12 (SMM) – Sluggish downstream demand weighed premiums of spot zinc on the morning of Wednesday December 12. Traders accounted for most transactions and downstream maintained on-demand purchase. 

In Shanghai, the 0# common brand was mostly offered at a premium of 270-280 yuan/mt over the SHFE 1901 contract. A higher quality of product kept offers of the Shuangyan and Chihong brands at a premium of 700-730 yuan/mt over the January contract. These compared with highs of 320 yuan/mt and 780 yuan/mt, respectively, on Tuesday December 11.   

Premium offers at 250-260 yuan/mt for #0 common brands were heard in the market at noon, compared with a high of 300 yuan/mt in the early morning. The #0 zinc mostly traded at 21,540-21,640 yuan/mt before noon. 

In Guangdong, sufficient supplies and slow demand also weighed spot premiums by 70 yuan/mt from Tuesday, to 360-380 yuan/mt over the SHFE 1901 contract. Traded prices mostly occurred at 21,620-21,720 yuan/mt. The Guangdong-Shanghai price spread narrowed to a premium of 100 yuan/mt at noon, from 140 yuan/mt on December 11.  

This morning, the SHFE 1901 traded rangebound and closed at 21,260 yuan/mt at the end of the morning trading session, up 30 yuan/mt from that time on Tuesday.

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.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
How Are Expectations for China’s Galvanized Sheet Exports in March Amid Continued Turmoil in the Middle East?
4 hours ago
How Are Expectations for China’s Galvanized Sheet Exports in March Amid Continued Turmoil in the Middle East?
Read More
How Are Expectations for China’s Galvanized Sheet Exports in March Amid Continued Turmoil in the Middle East?
How Are Expectations for China’s Galvanized Sheet Exports in March Amid Continued Turmoil in the Middle East?
According to the latest customs data, galvanized sheet exports stood at 926,600 mt in January 2026 and 1.1677 million mt in February, bringing cumulative exports in January-February to 2.0942 million mt, down 0.14% YoY. China’s total galvanized sheet exports in January-February this year were basically flat YoY. .
4 hours ago
South Korea to Exempt Tariffs on Overseas-Sourced Critical Minerals
8 hours ago
South Korea to Exempt Tariffs on Overseas-Sourced Critical Minerals
Read More
South Korea to Exempt Tariffs on Overseas-Sourced Critical Minerals
South Korea to Exempt Tariffs on Overseas-Sourced Critical Minerals
On the 25th, it was confirmed that the South Korean government will exempt tariffs of 3–8% on critical minerals such as lithium, graphite, and rare earth elements when domestically owned companies directly produce and import them from overseas. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has pre-announced a new regulation outlining tariff exemptions for overseas resource development projects. Under the policy, a total of 14 critical minerals—including lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, zinc, and rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, and scandium—will be eligible for duty exemption when brought into the country. The regulation is set to take effect on April 3.
8 hours ago
Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Mar 26)
10 hours ago
Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Mar 26)
Read More
Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Mar 26)
Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Mar 26)
The following table shows the ferrous and nonferrous metals movement on the SHFE and DCE on 26 Mar , 2026
10 hours ago
Slow demand erodes spot zinc premiums  - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)