Brass billet operating rate expected to remain under pressure.

ChinaIOL monitoring data shows that in May 2026, China's household air conditioner production was 18.74 million units, down 10.0% YoY; sales were 19.58 million units, down 11.1% YoY; of which exports were 7.58 million units, down 4.2% YoY; and domestic sales were 12.00 million units, down 15.0% YoY. Production and sales continued to decline. Affected by the domestic end-use market climate, the YoY decline in domestic sales widened significantly. Under inventory pressure, production was proactively reduced to start destocking.

【SMM Copper Inventory Flash】In China's major regions, copper cathode inventories continued the destocking trend MoM. In the Shanghai market, arrivals of imported and domestic copper remained low, persistently driving down inventories. In the Jiangsu region, limited supply of arrivals, coupled with accelerated downstream warehouse withdrawals, pushed inventories down in tandem. Ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, end-user stockpiling sentiment in Guangdong was sluggish, leading to a slight inventory buildup in the region.