This week, domestic mainstream copper inventories saw a significant buildup, reaching a historically high level [SMM weekly data].

Published: Feb 26, 2026 14:33

SMM February 26:

Data Brief: As of Thursday, February 26, SMM's national mainstream copper inventories increased 4.56% WoW from Tuesday, with total inventory up 155,600 mt YoY.

By region, Shanghai's copper cathode inventory continued to build, supported by sustained arrivals of imported and domestic supplies; Jiangsu saw a slight inventory accumulation as downstream operations had not fully resumed; Guangdong's downstream enterprises only gradually resumed production today, leading to a slow recovery in consumption and driving a continued rise in warehouse inventories.

Looking ahead, supply side, imported materials continue to arrive at ports, while domestic supply arrivals remain stable; demand side, downstream enterprises are gradually resuming production, and consumption is expected to recover. Considering the overall supply-demand pattern, copper market supply is expected to remain normal next week, consumption is likely to steadily recover, and the pace of weekly inventory buildup is projected to slow down.

 

      

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.

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