Refinery Resumed Operations, China's Lead Production Up YoY in March

Published: Apr 22, 2025 09:32

Save

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a report showing that China's lead production in March 2025 reached 737,000 mt, up 2.4% YoY. In terms of primary lead, except for a few smelters in Yunnan and Henan that faced equipment maintenance issues, most other smelters resumed production after maintenance. Additionally, smelters in Hunan restarted production after completing equipment upgrades, leading to an increase in primary lead production. In March, secondary lead smelters saw improved profitability, with smelters showing high production enthusiasm during the month. The commissioning of new capacity, along with the resumption and ramp-up of production at medium and large smelters, contributed to a rebound in secondary lead production. Entering April, SMM noted that primary lead smelters are experiencing both maintenance and resumption of operations, while secondary lead smelters still have plans to increase production with new capacity.

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

21 hours ago

Lead Prices Stagnant, Smelters Maintain Firm Offers Amid Losses

Lead prices were in the doldrums, while secondary lead smelters maintained firm offers due to losses. The mainstream spot order ex-factory prices including tax narrowed the discount to the SMM #1 lead average price by 100 yuan/mt, shifting to a premium of 0–25 yuan/mt, with some smelters halting offers and sales.

21 hours ago

"Domestic Secondary Crude Lead Market Slows as Holidays Approach, Smelters Halt Production"

Pre-holiday stockpiling by downstream enterprises had largely concluded, and a few had already entered the holiday period, completely suspending procurement. Next week, secondary lead smelters will enter a concentrated wave of production halts and holidays, resulting in sluggish trading activity in the spot market. Offers for spot refined lead orders were sparse, with prices moving in line with the market.

21 hours ago

Sluggish Transactions in Domestic Secondary Crude Lead Market, Prices at 15,250-15,400 Yuan/mt

The domestic secondary crude lead market experienced sluggish transactions. As of February 6, 2026, the ex-factory tax-exclusive offers for domestic secondary crude lead stood at 15,250-15,400 yuan/mt. Downstream refined lead and alloy smelters gradually entered the holiday period, showing weak stockpiling willingness. Overseas lead ingot suppliers basically halted transactions with China due to poor consumption in the Chinese market, with only some previously concluded shipments maintaining normal in-transit transportation. The trading atmosphere in the secondary crude lead market will continue to weaken next week.

21 hours ago