Copper Prices Rise, Suppressing Orders; Wire and Cable Operating Rate Falls to 68.96%

Published: Jul 17, 2026 16:25

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This week (July 10 – July 16), SMM copper wire and cable enterprise operating rate was 68.96%, down 1.88 percentage points MoM and down 3.94 percentage points YoY. Industry production load continued to weaken. During the week, copper prices continued to rise, suppressing downstream willingness to sign new orders. Coupled with the traditional consumption off-season, overall end-use demand was weak, and overall order performance in the market was mediocre. Demand in sub-sectors generally lacked highlights, with only orders from State Grid released steadily. The rise in copper prices drove some rush-to-buy replenishment retail orders from end-users, providing bottom support for this week's operating rate.

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