Copper Cathode Rod Producers See WoW Uptick, But YoY Decline Amid High Prices and Weak New Orders

Published: Jun 5, 2026 14:46

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[SMM Copper Express] The operating rate of domestic copper cathode rod producers rose 4.82 percentage points WoW this week but pulled back 9 percentage points YoY. The increase in the operating rate was mainly driven by the concentrated scheduling of existing orders, while new orders were weak. High copper prices suppressed downstream wire and cable procurement. Enamelled wire orders were moderate, but high inventory weighed on subsequent production.

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