Zinc concentrate imports rose MoM amid arrivals of cargoes in ports

Published: Sep 28, 2020 14:27

Save

China imported 410,700 mt of zinc concentrate in August, up 142,400 mt from July and 161,000 mt from the same period last year.

SHANGHAI, Sep 28 (SMM) – China imported 410,700 mt of zinc concentrate in August, up 142,400 mt from July and 161,000 mt from the same period last year.

Imports from Australia stood at 94,500 mt, accounting for 23% of the total zinc concentrate imports in August. Peru exported 86,300 mt to China, accounting for 21% in August. China imported 37,800 mt from Pakistan, accounting for 9.2% in August.

Imports from Peru increased 74,500 mt from July amid resumed shipments from Peru after production recovered at local zinc producers.

Demand for zinc ore was positive as output at domestic smelters rose sharply. Domestic zinc concentrate supply was tight on the back of low output and shutdown of zinc mines in Q4 in high altitude areas. Demand for zinc imports increased amid restocking for winter by domestic smelters.

Zinc concentrate imports rose sharply in August due to arrivals of zinc ore at ports.

Overseas zinc concentrate supply was tight in September and treatment charges (TCs) fell further to $100-130/dmt. But domestic smelters were reluctant to accept high TCs. SMM estimates that imports of zinc concentrates are expected to decline to 280,000 mt in September.

Tradeflow Zinc concentrate

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

Apr 17, 2026 17:18

Zhuye Group Unveils 2025 Annual Report, Outlines 2026 Production Targets

[Zhuye Group releases 2025 annual report] On April 17, Zhuye Group released its 2025 annual report. The report showed that in 2025, Zhuye Group's total production of zinc and zinc alloys was 659,600 mt, total production of sulphuric acid was 677,100 mt, total production of lead and lead alloys was 105,900 mt, total production of gold was 4,285 kg, and total production of silver was 318.23 mt. Taking into account industry trends and the company's actual conditions, the core product production targets for 2026 balance both growth and efficiency: zinc and zinc alloy production of 645,000 mt, lead and lead alloy production of 100,000 mt, mine raw ore production of 860,000 mt, gold production of 4.2 mt, and silver production of 300 mt.

Apr 17, 2026 17:18

Apr 17, 2026 16:50

Ajou University Team Improves Performance of Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Ajou University announced on April 16 that the research team has developed a technology to redesign the surface of zinc metal, significantly improving the performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Batteries applying this technology demonstrated stable operation for over 500 hours under high-power conditions and retained more than 70% of their performance after over 1,500 charge–discharge cycles.

Apr 17, 2026 16:50

Apr 17, 2026 16:12

Smelters Actively Rushed to Purchase Domestic Ore, Zinc Concentrate TCs Continued to Decline Across Multiple Regions in China [SMM Zinc Concentrates Weekly Review]

[Smelters Actively Scrambled for Domestic Ore, TCs in Multiple Regions of China Continued to Decline]: Based on weekly data, the SMM Zn50 domestic weekly average TC fell 100 yuan/mt Zn WoW to 1,250 yuan/mt Zn, and the SMM imported zinc concentrate index dropped $9.25/dmt WoW to -$28.5/dmt...

Apr 17, 2026 16:12