SMM7 March 21 North China Copper spot Market Express: goods are tight, water is strong, supply and demand are both weak

During the 2026 Labour Day holiday, production arrangements among China's secondary copper rod enterprises showed a notable divergence, with some choosing to halt production for the holiday while others maintained normal operations

[SMM Copper Wire and Cable Weekly Inventory] Despite the approaching Labour Day holiday, overall enterprise stockpiling sentiment remained cautious due to high copper prices. As a result, raw material inventories of mainstream copper wire and cable enterprises in China edged up 2.58% WoW. Finished product inventories side, some wire and cable enterprises suspended quotations during the Labour Day holiday, and some end-users cautiously picked up goods in advance, driving finished product inventories down slightly by 2.42% WoW.

This week (April 24–April 30), the SMM operating rate of copper wire and cable enterprises was 65.9%, down 1.09 percentage points WoW. Copper prices hovered at highs this week, and earlier concentrated procurement had front-loaded some subsequent demand. Industry orders in the wire and cable industry remained weak, with operating rates continuing to decline. Next week, wire and cable industry operations will continue to pull back. Most enterprises will have a short Labour Day holiday break, with some choosing to cut production or maintain operations without shutting down. The operating rate is expected to continue falling by 3.12 percentage points WoW to 62.78%.