Price
News
- Rare Earth Ore Imports Surge in Early 2026, Exceeding Demand and Causing Surplus[SMM Analysis]
[SMM Analysis:Rare Earth Ore Imports Surge in Early 2026, Exceeding Demand and Causing Surplus] According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, from January to February 2026, China’s imports of mixed rare earth carbonate were about 3,013.7 mt, up 321% YoY. Over the same period, imports of unlisted rare earth oxides were about 12,860.4 mt, also posting a sharp increase of 209% YoY.
Mar 24, 2026 10:24 - What Could Change if Middle East Aluminum Trade Reroutes—and Supply Becomes Substitutable
Strait of Hormuz disruptions and Iran tensions are driving up aluminum prices and premiums. Aluminium Bahrain and Qatalum have cut output, while feedstock is tight. Rerouting via Port of Sohar or Saudi ports raises costs and delays. Buyers are turning to China, India, Russia, Canada, and scrap to offset risk. Prolonged disruption could reduce Middle East market share and reprice it as higher-risk supply.
Mar 24, 2026 17:22 - China’s Copper Cathode Imports Declined in 2026, While the Share of EQ Copper Imports Continued to Rise
According to the latest data disclosed by the General Administration of Customs, China’s imported copper cathode market, while maintaining the 2025 baseline, is facing dual challenges: the continued rise in the share of EQ copper and whether global supply will continue to be diverted. China’s cumulative copper cathode imports in January-February 2026 totaled 356,900 mt, down 33.13% YoY.
Mar 24, 2026 09:41 - Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Efficient Synthesis Systems of Green Fuels (Preparatory) Was Officially Unveiled
On the morning of March 10, the unveiling ceremony and construction launch meeting for the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Efficient Green Fuel Synthesis Systems Engineering (Preparatory) were successfully held at Shanghai Boiler Works Co., Ltd. Xuan Fuzhen, President of East China University of Science and Technology, and Wu Lei, Party Secretary and Chairman of Shanghai Electric Group, jointly unveiled the laboratory, marking the official entry of the key laboratory’s development into a new stage of substantive progress. Zheng Guanghong, Second-Level Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, witnessed the ceremony on site. Led by Shanghai Boiler Works Co., Ltd. and jointly established with East China University of Science and Technology, the laboratory focuses on tackling critical “bottleneck” technological challenges in the application field of efficient synthesis of green fuels such as green methanol, green ammonia, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It has precisely laid out three core research directions: efficient synthesis of diversified green fuels, high-efficiency clean power equipment, and AI + digital twin flexible regulation and control. It is committed to building a full-chain innovation system spanning basic R&D, pilot-scale verification, and industrialisation, thereby supporting breakthroughs in green fuel technologies and their industrial application. Wu Lei, Party Secretary and Chairman of Shanghai Electric Group, stated at the event that the high-standard development of the key laboratory for green fuels is an important practice for Shanghai Electric in implementing the national development strategy for new quality productive forces in the energy sector and promoting the deep integration of green fuel technological innovation with industry. Shanghai Electric will use the laboratory’s development as an important lever, providing comprehensive support in policy, resources, funding, and other aspects, fully integrating high-quality internal and external resources, and making every effort to advance technological research, professional talent cultivation, and the commercialisation of scientific research achievements, thereby contributing wisdom and strength to the high-quality development of China’s green fuel industry. Xuan Fuzhen, President of East China University of Science and Technology, pointed out that the university will give full play to its disciplinary strengths, carry out close and pragmatic cooperation with Shanghai Electric, vigorously promote the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, focus on core challenges in green fuel synthesis technologies and equipment, strive to achieve major technological breakthroughs, and work together to build a benchmark for collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research. Jin Xiaolong, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Shanghai Electric Group, Vice President Qiu Jiayou, and relevant leaders from the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, East China University of Science and Technology, and Shanghai Electric Power Station Group attended the event.
Mar 24, 2026 11:51 - Negotiations Remained in Stalemate, and Continued Structural Tightening Kept Iron Ore Strong [SMM Brief Commentary]
Dalian iron ore fluctuated upward today. The most-traded contract, I2605, finally closed at 819 yuan/mt, up 0.92% from the previous trading session. Spot prices rose by about 1-2 yuan from the previous trading day. Traders were moderately active in offering quotations, while steel mills purchased cautiously. At present, transactions in the spot market remained sluggish. In terms of fundamental data, the SMM survey showed that global iron ore shipments reached 33.63 million mt last week, up 5.2% WoW; meanwhile, total iron ore arrivals at Chinese ports were 27.14 million mt, down 3.5% WoW. Combined with the narrower inventory buildup in port inventory in the previous period and the increase in port pick-up volume, the oversupplied situation on the iron ore supply side improved in the short term. At the same time, demand gradually rebounded as blast furnaces resumed production one after another, and iron ore fundamentals gradually turned bullish. On the news front, as long-term contract negotiations remained deadlocked, the unilateral trend in iron ore had yet to become clear, so most funds chose to stay on the sidelines, though overall bullish sentiment remained relatively strong. Therefore, overall, iron ore prices were expected to fluctuate at highs this week.
Mar 23, 2026 16:59 - The Most-Traded SHFE Tin Contract Continued to Consolidate Weakly, with Strong Wait-and-See Sentiment in the Market [SMM Tin Midday Commentary]
[SMM Tin Midday Commentary: The Most-Traded SHFE Tin Contract Continued Its Weak Consolidation, and Market Wait-and-See Sentiment Was Strong]
Mar 23, 2026 12:03
Announcements
Discontinuation of Iron Ore Data Points in the SMM Database
PriceMar 13, 2026 16:19Dear User, Hello! To better assist upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain in monitoring market fluctuations and promptly reflecting the spot market prices, thereby reducing transaction risks and costs in the metal market, and continuously improving and deepening the research on the metal industry chain, SMM, after a period of preparation and market research, plans to introduce new price points starting from November 1. These include Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, among others, for market reference. I. General Principles of SMM Price Methodology Shanghai Metals Market (hereinafter referred to as SMM) is a fully independent third-party service provider and does not participate in any substantive transactions. Instead, it acts as a market observer or organizer, maintaining close communication with buyers and sellers in transactions and providing relevant services to the market. SMM continuously develops, reviews, and revises its methodology through communication with industry professionals, adopting the most common product specifications, trade terms, and conditions in the industry, while giving equal importance to normal transactions that meet standard specifications. SMM reserves the right to exclude any price information deemed unreliable or unrepresentative from its pricing assessments. SMM publishes daily metal spot prices (or price indices, including the Chinese market, markets outside China, and global markets), commonly referred to as SMM prices. SMM has established corresponding methodologies for all published SMM prices (all of which are available for reference on SMM’s official website, www.smm.cn ). These methodologies specify the methods and procedures for generating and publishing SMM prices, which are strictly adhered to. To align with the actual conditions of the spot market, SMM may make necessary revisions to the SMM price methodology, which will be announced on the SMM official website before formal implementation. For any questions or suggestions regarding SMM prices or their methodologies, please contact SMM customer service (contact information can be found on the SMM official website, www.smm.cn ). This document outlines the standards for establishing price points such as Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery. The purpose of this standard is to establish a transparent and verifiable mechanism for SMM price determination. II. Formation of SMM Price Points for Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, etc. 2.1 Definition SMM price points for Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, etc., are formed and published by SMM in accordance with this methodology. They can be used by trading parties as reference for spot trade settlement of these price points. 2.2 New Metal-Related Price Points Added by SMM Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, etc. 2.3 Quotation Generation Method SMM collects data for evaluating price points such as Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery through data collection (i.e., gathering raw data information that meets SMM standards). This includes bid and ask quotes provided by data providers for transactions not concluded on the same day, as well as actual transaction prices for spot trades provided by data providers. 2.4 Data Collection Method SMM price analysts collect data for price points such as Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery regularly (between 9:30 AM and 11:15 AM on each trading day) via phone, QQ, WeChat, fax, and email. This data may include prices of concluded transactions on the same day, companies’ expected most likely prices for pending transactions, and offers. 2.5 Product Standards Price Point Name Reference Standard Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.5%, other elements unspecified. Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.9%, other elements unspecified. Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.9%, other elements unspecified. Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.9%, other elements unspecified. Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery Rod or ingot form. Cadmium content 99.99%, other elements unspecified. Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery Rod or ingot form. Cadmium content 99.99%, other elements unspecified. Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery Rod or ingot form. Cadmium content 99.99%, other elements unspecified. 2.6 Pricing Unit and Presentation Price Point Name Unit Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery USD/lb Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery INR/kg Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery USD/lb Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB USD/lb Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery USD/lb Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery USD/lb Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery INR/kg 2.7 Delivery Method Pick-up from relevant warehouses. 2.8 Payment Method Cash payment or wire transfer. Other terms handled as per常规. 2.9 Update Time Before 11:30 AM on each trading day. III. Methodology Changes All markets evolve, and SMM has a responsibility to ensure that the methodologies for market reporting keep pace with these changes. Therefore, SMM regularly conducts internal reviews of the appropriateness of its methodologies based on industry feedback. For all substantive but non-urgent potential revisions, SMM will follow a formal external consultation process. Major changes will be announced with a notice period of at least 28 days, inviting industry comments, unless special circumstances, particularly force majeure (natural disasters, war, exchange bankruptcy, etc.), necessitate a shorter notice period. SMM is committed to carefully reviewing all comments on proposed methodology changes. However, in some cases, it may be necessary to make changes to the methodology against the wishes of some market participants. Additionally, SMM has a formal methodology consultation process. Shanghai Metals Market Information Technology Co., Ltd. Precious Metals Team November 1, 2025
PriceNov 1, 2025 17:37Discontinuation and Addition of Iron Ore Data Points in the SMM Database
PriceMar 6, 2026 19:02