This week (5.22-5.28), the brass billet industry remained in the doldrums, with an operating rate of 52.01%, down 0.13 percentage points WoW. Supply side, recycled brass raw materials were in tight supply and high in price, enterprises had insufficient raw material inventories, and production was constrained. Meanwhile, copper prices fluctuated at high levels, creating strong cost uncertainty, which suppressed enterprises' willingness to produce and stockpile, keeping overall industry operating rates low. Demand side, the off-season effect was evident, with end-use demand from home appliances, sanitary ware, hardware and other sectors remaining weak, and new orders were insufficient. Downstream wait-and-see sentiment was strong, with purchases mainly driven by just-in-time procurement. The pace of taking orders and cargo pick-up slowed down, finished product inventories across the industry stayed at a medium-to-high level, and market transactions were sluggish. Looking ahead to next week (5.29-6.4), the weak off-season pattern is unlikely to change, with tight raw material supply, high costs, and weak demand showing no signs of improvement for now. SMM expects the industry operating rate to decline 0.19 percentage points WoW to 51.82%, with operating rates unlikely to recover in the short term.

This week (5.22-5.28), the enamelled wire industry's machine utilization rate edged up 0.4 WoW....

According to SMM data, prices of zinc, aluminum, and copper rose overall starting from the end of last year, and die-casting zinc alloy enterprises continued to face cost pressure. Meanwhile, since March this year, aluminum prices surpassed zinc prices, with the price center steadily running above 23,400 yuan/mt with fluctuations, while copper prices operated above 100,000 yuan/mt for most of the time since entering 2026, intensifying the operational pressure on die-casting zinc alloy producers.

[SMM Brass Billet News] The industry has entered the traditional consumption off-season, with weak end-use demand showing no signs of improvement, which has become the core factor dragging down industry performance. Order follow-through in key downstream sectors such as home appliances, refrigeration, and sanitary hardware remained sluggish. End-users exhibited strong wait-and-see sentiment, with subdued purchase willingness, mostly making just-in-time procurement, and new orders were scarce.

The brass billet industry continued to be in the doldrums under the triple pressures of the traditional off-season, high raw material costs, and weak demand. According to SMM data, the brass billet industry operating rate registered 52.14% this week (5.15-5.21), down 0.2 percentage points WoW, extending the low-level trend since late April.

[SMM Brass Billet News Flash] Demand side, the traditional off-season effect continued to ferment, and the weak end-use demand from downstream brass billet sectors showed no improvement. Order follow-up in core downstream sectors such as home appliances, refrigeration, and bathroom hardware remained sluggish, with strong wait-and-see sentiment among end-users and subdued purchase willingness.