On April 29th, the groundbreaking ceremony for the 50,000-ton-per-year color-coated aluminum coil project of Jinhu New Material Technology (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. was held. Shandong Jinhu Color Aluminum Group mainly produces high-end deep-processed aluminum products such as color-coated aluminum coils, aluminum composite panels, and colored stone metal tiles.

[Zinc Oxide Operating Rate Edged Down] The operating rate of the zinc oxide industry was 59.42% this week, edging down 0.28 percentage points WoW. Zinc prices continued to rise during the week, with China's zinc prices running steadily above 24,000 yuan/mt. Enterprises were relatively cautious in raw material procurement, and inventory remained largely flat compared with last week.

[Announcement on Adjustments to Ansteel and Bensteel Group's May 2026 Domestic Futures Selling Prices for Sheets & Plates] Ansteel's product pricing policy for May 2026 was adjusted based on the April 2026 product pricing policy as follows: 1. Hot-rolled: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 2. Pickled: raised by 50 yuan/mt. Automotive steel raised by 100 yuan/mt. 3. Cold-rolled: unchanged. Automotive steel unchanged. Additionally: Anshen high-strength wire 590MPa, 780MPa, 980MPa, and 1180MPa grades unchanged. 4. Cold-hardened: unchanged. 5. Galvanizing: unchanged. 6. Non-oriented silicon steel: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 7. Color-coated: unchanged. 8. Medium-thickness plates: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 9. Wire rod: unchanged. 10. Rebar: unchanged. 11. Alloy surcharge: refer to the price list for details. Ansteel Co., Ltd. Marketing Center Apr 2026 Bensteel Group's product pricing policy for May 2026 was adjusted based on the April 2026 product pricing policy as follows: 1. Hot-rolled: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 2. Pickled: raised by 50 yuan/mt. Automotive steel raised by 100 yuan/mt. 3. Cold-rolled: unchanged. Automotive steel unchanged. 4. Cold-hardened: unchanged. 5. Galvanizing: unchanged. 6. Electrogalvanization: unchanged. 7. Non-oriented silicon steel: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 8. Wire rod: unchanged. 9. Rebar: unchanged. 10. Special steel: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 11. Alloy surcharge: refer to the price list for details. Bensteel Sheets & Plates Marketing Center, Beiying Business Center Apr 2026

The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) has announced the completion of the Corley Mine Surface Burn Mitigation Project near Florence, ending a nearly year-long effort to extinguish a 9.5-acre smoldering debris pile. The project was fast-tracked in May 2025 after internal temperatures in the century-old coal waste surged to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, posing significant environmental and fire risks. Crews excavated approximately 82,000 cubic yards of coal waste and carbonaceous shale, cooling the material with water and gravel before burying the stabilized remnants under 164,800 cubic yards of dirt and rock. This successful mitigation addresses a spontaneous combustion issue that had persisted for two decades, securing the site against future ignition.

【SMM Steel】Egypt introduced final safeguard measures on imported flat steel, effective Apr 2, 2026, following an 116% surge in HR imports and 86% jump in CR/galvanized/color-coated steel (2021-2024). Duties decrease annually over three years. Year 1: HR 13.6% (min $76/t), CR 13.7% (min $83/t), galvanized 14.0% (min $93/t), color-coated 14.5% (min $122/t). Rates drop in years 2 & 3.

From January to February 2026, China's air conditioner production reached 40.118 million units, up 0.7% YoY. From January to February, national refrigerator production reached 16.643 million units, up 6.5% YoY. From January to February, national washing machine production reached 18.579 million units, down 0.8% YoY. From January to February, national color TV production reached 24.678 million units, up 2.3% YoY. In February 2026, China exported 6.84 million air conditioners, up 1.2% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 13.15 million units, down 6.5% YoY. Refrigerator exports reached 6.93 million units in February, up 26.6% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 14.91 million units, up 18.6% YoY. Washing machine exports reached 2.7 million units in February, up 18.1% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 6.1 million units, up 11.8% YoY. LCD TV exports reached 8.53 million units in February, up 34.4% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 17.69 million units, up 17.2% YoY.