China’s imports of copper concentrate rise to all-time high in Jul

Published: Aug 26, 2019 15:19
Copper concentrate imports rose to an all-time high of 2.07 million mt in Jul, exceeding 2 million mt for the first time

SHANGHAI, Aug 26 (SMM) – China’s imports of copper concentrate rose to an all-time high of 2.07 million mt in July, exceeding 2 million mt for the first time, showed a monthly report by China Customs on August 23.

This was up 12.6% from July 2018 and over 40% from June as smelting capacity in China spiked and after chaos at mines in Peru impacted shipments in June.

About 1.47 million mt of copper concentrate was imported to China in June, the lowest in 2019 and far below the monthly average of 1.8 million mt in the first half of the year.

Customs data also showed that imports of copper concentrate rose 10.8% year on year to 12.62 million mt in the first seven months of 2019.  

For the same period, China’s imports of unwrought copper and copper products declined 11.7% to 2.69 million mt.

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
As Delivery Approaches, the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widens; SHFE Copper Spot Premiums Shift from a Discount to Flat [SMM Shanghai Spot Copper]
13 mins ago
As Delivery Approaches, the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widens; SHFE Copper Spot Premiums Shift from a Discount to Flat [SMM Shanghai Spot Copper]
Read More
As Delivery Approaches, the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widens; SHFE Copper Spot Premiums Shift from a Discount to Flat [SMM Shanghai Spot Copper]
As Delivery Approaches, the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widens; SHFE Copper Spot Premiums Shift from a Discount to Flat [SMM Shanghai Spot Copper]
[SMM Shanghai Spot Copper] As the delivery period approaches, spot discounts for SHFE copper are expected to continue narrowing steadily. From the perspective of market structure, the inter-month contango price spread between futures contracts has widened, significantly strengthening suppliers’ willingness to ship to delivery warehouses. In particular, inventory in Jiangsu is mainly in the form of warrants, and suppliers tend to opt for delivery rather than spot sales, resulting in persistently tight availability of deliverable spot cargo. In addition, spot premiums quotes in Jiangsu are slightly higher than those in Shanghai. Against this backdrop, suppliers showed a strong willingness to hold prices firm intraday, and quotes in the second session were raised slightly, making procurement more difficult for some downstream enterprises. Looking ahead to tomorrow, under delivery-driven dynamics, spot premiums in Shanghai are expected to remain at current levels.
13 mins ago
China's Copper Imports Drop 16.1% in Jan-Feb 2026, Totaling 700,000 Tonnes
1 hour ago
China's Copper Imports Drop 16.1% in Jan-Feb 2026, Totaling 700,000 Tonnes
Read More
China's Copper Imports Drop 16.1% in Jan-Feb 2026, Totaling 700,000 Tonnes
China's Copper Imports Drop 16.1% in Jan-Feb 2026, Totaling 700,000 Tonnes
According to data from China’s General Administration of Customs, China imported 316,000 tonnes of unwrought copper and copper products in February 2026. For the January–February period, cumulative imports of unwrought copper and copper products reached 700,000 tonnes, down 16.1% year-on-year, compared with 834,000 tonnes imported during the same period last year.
1 hour ago
Copper Prices Rose but the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widened; Suppliers Were Reluctant to Sell, and Overall Trading Was Not as Active as Yesterday [SMM South China Spot Copper]
1 hour ago
Copper Prices Rose but the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widened; Suppliers Were Reluctant to Sell, and Overall Trading Was Not as Active as Yesterday [SMM South China Spot Copper]
Read More
Copper Prices Rose but the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widened; Suppliers Were Reluctant to Sell, and Overall Trading Was Not as Active as Yesterday [SMM South China Spot Copper]
Copper Prices Rose but the Price Spread Between Futures Contracts Widened; Suppliers Were Reluctant to Sell, and Overall Trading Was Not as Active as Yesterday [SMM South China Spot Copper]
1 hour ago
China’s imports of copper concentrate rise to all-time high in Jul - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)