[SMM Announcement] Launch of CIF Premiums by Lead Content for Lead Ingots from Vietnam and Malaysia

Published: Apr 15, 2026 09:20

Save

Dear Users,

In recent years, the Southeast Asian lead market has developed rapidly, particularly as Chinese-funded enterprises have concentrated investments in lead-acid batteries, electric bicycles, and the automotive industry, further driving up lead demand. However, the expansion of lead smelting capacity in countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia has lagged behind the growth in consumption, making it difficult to meet the rapidly increasing demand for lead.

As a result, imported lead has become the primary source of lead ingot supply in these countries. In 2024 and 2025, SMM subsequently launched CIF premiums for Malaysian lead ingots and Vietnamese lead ingots.

Thanks to the diversity of global lead ingot production standards, SMM's pricing references the London Metal Exchange (LME) lead futures delivery standards (EN 12659:1999, GB/T 469-2013, and ASTM B29-03 (2014)). During the period of increased lead demand in Southeast Asia, the demand for lead ingots with a purity of ≥ 99.99% has been particularly prominent due to the needs of lead-acid battery production, leading to increased trading activity in the lead market and a widening price gap between lead ingots with different purity levels. To keep pace with the development of the lead market and reflect the true situation of spot transactions, SMM upgrade overseas lead ingot pricing with the following price points:

The SMM Malaysia and Vietnam lead ingot CIF premium is an indicative price developed and published by SMM in accordance with the methodology described above. It may be used by both trading parties as a reference for the settlement of CIF lead ingot premium transactions in overseas markets.This price reflects the actual or potentially tradable spot price range at the time of publication of the Malaysia and Vietnam lead ingot CIF premium on each full trading day. The six price points mentioned above will be officially launched on April 15, 2026. Historical data can be viewed on the SMM website (smm.cn and metal.com).

The price is published every trading day during local market operating hours, on the morning of the trading day.

SMM will continue to monitor developments in the lead industry chain and further optimize pricing points to better serve the industry!

For any questions regarding mentioned-above pricing points, please contact Lead Analyst Xia Wenming at 021-51666839 or xiawenming@smm.cn .

Shanghai Metals Market, Lead & Zinc Industry Research and Analysis Team
Shanghai, April 14, 2026.

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 for 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

22 mins ago

[SMM Analysis]Canada’s Sulfur Export Data – 2026 Exports Projected at 5.2 Million Tons

||||Tip: This article is lengthy. You may directly refer to the final section: Core Questions & Answers|||| What is the annual export capacity of Canadian sulfur? Canada’s sulfur export tonnage has followed a trend of decline bottoming out explosive growth. The export volume stood at 3.35 million tons in 2022, 3.12 million tons in 2023, 3.02 million tons in 2024, and surged to a historical peak of 4.25 million tons in 2025. The annualized export tonnage is estimated at 5.22 million tons in 2026.

22 mins ago

35 mins ago

Primary and secondary smelters simultaneously cut production this month, lead ingot inventory rose to a six-month high [Lead Futures Brief Review]

35 mins ago

1 hour ago

[SMM Flash] Bunker Hill Produces First Lead-Zinc Concentrate in 45 Years at Idaho Site

Bunker Hill Mining announced that it has successfully produced its first concentrate at the redeveloped Bunker Hill Mine in Idaho’s Silver Valley, marking the site’s first product in 45 years. The company plans to ship this initial material to the Trail Smelter. The historic mine had been shut since 1981 due to environmental regulations, after previously yielding approximately 165 million ounces of silver and 4.5 million tonnes of base metals (primarily lead and zinc). Under new management, the facility underwent six years of extensive modernization, financing, and underground rehabilitation. Bunker Hill anticipates reaching commercial production by the end of 2026, once operations sustain 65% of the 1,800 tonnes per day nameplate capacity for 90 days. Concurrently, ongoing underground exploration targeting the Cate-8 Vein has progressed well, with all 16 core holes intersecting visible galena (lead-zinc) mineralization, and an additional 28 drill-holes are planned to support future mineral resource estimates.

1 hour ago