SMM expected the operating rate in the copper plate/sheet and strip industry to continue pulling back to 67.2% in January.

Published: Jan 9, 2026 14:41

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SMM expected the operating rate in the copper plate/sheet and strip industry to continue pulling back to 67.2% in January. Entering January, copper prices continued to hit record highs, pushing the affordability of the end-use market to its limit, with some downstream enterprises even planning to start the Chinese New Year holiday early, resulting in an overall "lying flat" trend across the industry. Against this backdrop, copper plate/sheet and strip enterprises faced sharply increasing operational pressures: on one hand, copper prices fluctuating at highs continued to suppress the release of new orders, leading to a significant drop in orders at the beginning of the month, compounded by the absence of any production ramp-up plans for the month, causing enterprises' production schedule expectations to decline accordingly; on the other hand, policy adjustments related to secondary copper resulted in enterprises producing tin-phosphor bronze strip facing dual challenges of difficult raw material procurement and a sharp rise in costs, which had already led to reduced production. Additionally, some enterprises planned year-end equipment overhauls, which also impacted the actual production in January to some extent.

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