Exclusive: China copper cathode output shrank 7.39% on the month to 798,300 mt in January

Published: Feb 8, 2021 14:53

Save

An SMM survey showed that China produced 798,300 mt of copper cathode in January, falling 7.39% from December, but rising 9.97% from a year ago.

SHANGHAI, Feb 8 (SMM)—An SMM survey showed that China produced 798,300 mt of copper cathode in January, falling 7.39% from December, but rising 9.97% from a year ago.

Operating rates at copper smelters fell sharply in January as they completed annual production targets at the end of 2020. Besides, shipments of copper concentrate from South America were hampered, which also brought pressure to copper smelters.

According to smelters’ production schedules, SMM expects China’s copper cathode output to increase 1.71% on the month and 18.86% on the year to 812,000 mt in February, as several smelters recover from maintenance. For the first two months of 2021, output is likely to total 1.61 million mt, up 14.28% from the same period last year. Shortages of storage capacity for sulphuric acid drove smelters to reduce output in February 2020, which led to a sharp year-on-year increase in copper cathode output.

Output data Copper cathode

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

4 mins ago

Tender Notice for Projects Including Safe and Energy-Efficient Copper Conductor Rails

4 mins ago

1 hour ago

The Most-Traded BC Copper Contract Closed Down 1.16%, Inflation Concerns Suppressed Expectations for Interest Rate Cuts [SMM BC Copper Commentary]

1 hour ago

2 hours ago

SHFE Copper Broke Below the 100,000 Mark Again, and Downstream Purchase Sentiment Cooled

Intraday, the SHFE copper 2603 contract fell below the 100,000-yuan mark for the second time after trading began. According to SMM, spot market activity today pulled back from March 9, when the contract first fell below 100,000 yuan, with overall trading sentiment remaining subdued on both buying and selling sides. On March 16, 2026, SMM's sentiment index for procurement in the Shanghai spot market was 2.53, while the sales sentiment index was 2.63, both down 0.29 from March 9. Historical data is available in the database. According to SMM, when copper prices fell below 100,000 yuan on March 9, some enterprises had restocking demand, which briefly boosted spot trade and brought it to a post-Chinese New Year trading high. But based on market feedback today, the contract rollover in futures may have had an impact. With copper prices again trading below the 100,000-yuan threshold, downstream enterprises showed signs of weaker acceptance.

2 hours ago