Weekly operating rate of SMM secondary lead smelters (July 25, 2025 - August 1, 2025) [SMM Lead Weekly Review]

SMM August 1st News:

From July 25th to August 1st, 2025, the weekly operating rate of secondary lead in four provinces tracked by SMM was 44.37%, an increase of 3.69 percentage points WoW. This week, a large smelter in Inner Mongolia resumed production and gradually ramped up, contributing significantly to the weekly operating rate. Currently, there has been no significant improvement in the scrap volume of waste lead-acid batteries in the market, and raw material supply remains a potential factor limiting production. Some manufacturers have indicated that their raw material inventory is being rapidly depleted, with daily arrivals of scrap batteries only sufficient to maintain basic production needs. They have stated that they will directly halt production when raw materials are not enough to support production. Today, the spot lead price has fallen to around 16,650 yuan/mt, further dampening the production enthusiasm of secondary lead smelters. Next week, the operating rate of secondary lead is more likely to fall than rise.

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