According to SMM's survey of major sodium antimonate manufacturers nationwide, China's sodium antimonate output in May 2024 was 3,140 mt, down 16.93% MoM from 3,780 mt in April. After falling below the 4,000 mt mark in April, the output continued to decline, approaching the 3,000 mt mark. Market participants had generally expected the significant decline in the output in May. The demand from PV glass industry showed a short-term decline, and the rapid rise in antimony prices in May caught many sodium antimonate manufacturers off guard in procuring raw materials. The significant increase in costs also affected order volumes. These factors impacted output.
Among the 11 surveyed enterprises by SMM, 2 manufacturers were in a state of shutdown or commissioning in May, and the production of other sodium antimonate manufacturers was mainly stable or declining, leading to a decrease in overall output. SMM expects that the domestic output of sodium antimonate in June 2024 will likely continue to decline, possibly falling below the 3,000 mt mark.
Note: Since July 2023, SMM has published the domestic output of sodium antimonate. Thanks to SMM's high coverage rate of the antimony industry, SMM's survey includes 11 sodium antimonate production enterprises, distributed in 5 provinces nationwide, with a total sample capacity of over 75,000 mt, and a total capacity coverage rate of over 99%.
