China tin production dropped 24.6% in November

SHANGHAI, Dec 6 (SMM) – China’s production of refined tin dropped 24.6% from a month ago to 7,520 mt in November, showed SMM data, as Yunnan Tin, the world’s largest producer of such material, remained shuttered for equipment overhaul.

Brief maintenance at some smelters and the closure of some smelters in regions like Yunnan and Jiangxi also contributed to the sharp decline in overall tin production last month.

For the first 11 months of 2019, production of refined tin in China stood at 129,647 mt, down 13,579 mt, or 9.48% from the same period a year earlier.

Notably, operating rates of Chinese tin smelters slipped to the lowest in nearly four years at 31.3% last month, according to SMM data.

The resumption of Yunnan Tin is expected to lift production of refined tin to 10,000 mt this month, after three consecutive months of declines, even as some smelters will close for the impending Chinese New Year.