Primary lead output in Apr up 6.44% on year due to low base

SHANGHAI, May 9 (SMM) – China's production of primary lead lost 0.2%, or around 500 mt from March, to stand at 257,200 mt in April, as maintenance at Anhui Tongguan, Yunnan Chihong, and Jiangxi Copper lowered output while Henan Xinling recovered from overhaul. 

Other primary smelters maintained regular operation last month. In the first four months of the year, output amounted to 1.01 million mt, up 7.11% from the same period in 2018.

On a yearly basis, production grew 6.44% in April due to a low base last year as a slew of smelters undertook large-scale maintenance in March-April of 2018. Maintenance across smelters last month was mostly on a smaller scale and only started around April 20. 

Output of primary lead is expected to further shrink by some 10,000 mt from April, to 246,000 mt in May as Anhui Tongguan and Jiangxi Copper are unlikely to ramp up to full capacity after April’s maintenance. Smelters of Henan Yuguang, Hunan Jingui, and Hechi Nanfang planned to commence maintenance in May. Resumption of Yunnan Chihong will offset part of the losses in output.