Secondary Aluminum Industry Sees Sharp 11.4% Drop in Operating Rates Ahead of Chinese New Year Holiday

Published: Feb 12, 2026 16:32

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[SMM Aluminum Alloy Express] The operating rate of leading enterprises in the secondary aluminum industry fell sharply by 11.4 percentage points WoW this week. As the Chinese New Year holiday approached, secondary aluminum producers began shutting down furnaces and taking holidays starting from February 5. The scope of shutdowns continued to expand during the week, with large and medium-sized aluminum plants basically entering the holiday period around the 12th. Market shipments nearly came to a halt, and the industry's production pace slowed down significantly, with the operating rate quickly pulling back to a periodic low. It is expected that after the holiday, as enterprises gradually resume production, the operating rate will rebound noticeably. However, the initial recovery pace will

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