Weekly operating rate of SMM secondary lead smelters (July 18-24, 2025) [SMM Lead Weekly Review]

Published: Jul 25, 2025 14:00

Save

SMM July 25 News:

From July 18, 2025 to July 24, 2025, the weekly operating rate of secondary lead smelters in four provinces tracked by SMM was 40.68%, representing a WoW increase of 2.84 percentage points. Due to the resumption of production at a smelter in Anhui province this week, the operating rate in the region increased by 6.6 percentage points. A large secondary lead smelter in Inner Mongolia has entered the furnace-drying stage and is expected to produce lead next week. The operating rates in Henan and Jiangsu provinces remained relatively stable this week, but raw material supply remains an issue. According to enterprises, arrivals have been average, with recyclers showing low willingness to sell, and market supplies are limited. As July draws to a close, the market still holds expectations for lead consumption in August. The production enthusiasm of secondary lead smelters is gradually recovering, and the operating rate is expected to maintain an upward trend next week.

》Subscribe to view historical SMM metal spot prices

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

19 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.

19 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.

19 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.

19 hours ago