High overseas prices squeeze domestic secondary copper imports, leading to inverted price relationship

Published: Jul 21, 2025 17:36
According to SMM, the current supply of secondary copper remains tight. US tariff policies have led to the near disappearance of US sources, while prices from other countries are high, resulting in severe inverted import margins. Ningbo traders have reported that despite SHFE copper prices surging by nearly 1,000 yuan, bare bright copper in Zhejiang is still trading at a discount of 800 yuan/mt, with traders clearly refusing to budge on prices. For secondary brass, constrained by weak demand, price fluctuations are only 300-500 yuan/mt, making it difficult to follow the futures market rally. Overseas brass prices are 1,000-1,500 yuan/mt higher than domestic prices, resulting in severe import losses, and the overall supply in Zhejiang is tight.

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 for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
According to SMM, the current supply of secondary copper remains tight - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)