China March antimony ingots output and April forecast

China's March 2024 antimony ingot production, including ingots, crude, and cathode, was 5,816.151 mt, up 31.31% from February's 4,429.22 mt. Due to the shortage of raw materials and factories shutdown during CNY holidays, production dropped significantly in February. Thus, the sharp rebound in production in March was expected. However, the shortage of raw materials forced some new manufacturers to stop production. The output of a few manufacturers slightly increased or decreased, and some manufacturers resumed production. Overall, the output of most manufacturers increased to varying degrees. Compared with the previous month, the output in March grew significantly. Raw material resources are still concentrated in some factories, and many manufacturers still find it difficult to resume production or continue to increase production.

Among the 33 manufacturers surveyed by SMM, 16 of them stopped production, up by one MoM; 16 of them cut output, down by one MoM; and one of them was under normal production, unchanged from last month. SMM predicted that antimony production in March returned to normal operation. The output in April 2024 is likely to continue to grow, but the extent of the growth depends on the changes in the supply of imported and domestic ores.

Notes: SMM has released Chinese antimony ingot production, including ingots, crude, and cathode since May 2022. Thanks to high coverage of the antimony industry, SMM has successfully surveyed a total of 33 antimony ingots manufacturers, who are located in eight provinces across the country, with a total capacity of more than 20,000 mt and a total capacity coverage rate of over 99%.