Operating Rates of Copper Wire and Cable Producers Diverged Greatly in March

SHANGHAI, Apr 13 (SMM) - The operating rates of copper wire and cable producers averaged 87.06% in March, up 15.79 percentage points month on month and 12.19 percentage points year on year. The operating rates of large enterprises averaged 91.12% (+11.98 percentage points YoY), versus 67.73% at medium-sized ones (+12.66 percentage points YoY), and 54.73% at small ones (-15.8 percentage points YoY). After being disturbed by the pandemic for three years, the capacity concentration of the copper wire and cable industry has increased significantly.

The growth of overall operating rates exceeded expectations in March, with an increase of 17.61 percentage points at large enterprises. In addition to the seasonal consumption recovery, lower copper prices in mid-to-late March attracted buyers who held back from placing orders previously due to high copper prices and disruptions from the pandemic.