SHANGHAI, Mar 9 (SMM) - SMM data showed that China produced 281,400 mt of primary lead in February, down 1.37% MoM but up 18.27% YoY. For January-February, the combined output surged 10.47% from the same period last year. Production capacities of enterprises involved in the survey totalled 5.77 million mt in 2023.

According to research, most primary lead smelters resumed the production in February after the Chinese New Year holiday. During this period, some lead smelters in Henan and Hunan carried out maintenance. Coupled with fewer working days in February, the output declined to a certain degree. At the same time, Henan Jinli's new production line was put into production and the maintenance of Hunan Shuikoushan and Guangdong Zhongjin Lingnan was completed, which led to significant growth in output. On the whole, the output declined only slightly. Compared with the same period last year, the impact of Chinese New Year holiday was subsided in February 2023, hence the operating rates of lead smelters were higher than last year.