[SMM Analysis: Glimmer of Hope amid Weak Supply and Demand: Review of China's Aluminum Billets Market in H1 2026 and Outlook for H2] In H1 2026, China’s aluminum billets market, squeezed by wild swings in aluminum prices and a slow recovery in end-use demand, underwent a turbulent journey from deep pressure to staged repair...

Since late April, aluminum billet processing fees in China's three major consumption regions staged a strong rebound, with South China taking the lead. Processing fees of φ120 aluminum billets (Guangdong) hit a Q2 low of -40 yuan/mt on April 16, then surged rapidly, approaching the 500 yuan/mt mark by month-end in May, and reaching a new yearly high of 490 yuan/mt on May 28. SMM believed there were three main reasons...

[SMM Analysis: February Operating Rate of Primary Aluminum Billets Hit a Nearly Four-Year Low, Expected to Recover to Peak-Season Levels Seen in the Same Period in Previous Years in March] According to SMM statistics, the operating rate of aluminum billets in February fell sharply by 9.2 percentage points MoM to 41.4%, down 7.7 percentage points YoY. After aluminum prices surged to a record high at the end of January, they saw a sharp correction ....

[SMM Analysis: Primary Aluminum Billets Operation in January Weaker Than Expectations, February Production May Hit a Nearly Four-Year Low] Domestic primary aluminum billets operation in January performed weaker than expectations. According to SMM data...

Key Points: Over the next five years, China's aluminum billet market is expected to exhibit a pattern of "dual growth in supply and demand but continued surplus, optimized capacity structure, and intensified demand differentiation," as the industry shifts from scale expansion to quality improvement...

[SMM Analysis: Year-End Aluminum Billet Production Data Released, Will Production Cuts Be Unavoidable as Off-Season Deepens?] Mixed trends coexisted! Domestic aluminum billet supply-side operating rates remained generally stable in November, with final production figures meeting expectations. As the September-October peak season concluded, some aluminum billet enterprises planned ahead to switch production to aluminum bus bars, primary alloys, aluminum rods, and other products. Meanwhile, some group enterprises, affected by poor overall annual profitability, implemented marginal production cut adjustments in November, showing signs of supply contraction during the off-season. However, due to the better-than-expected performance of aluminum billet processing fees, particularly in South China, some billet plants in South-West China increased production accordingly. Coupled with the ramp-up of newly commissioned capacity in Q4, the domestic aluminum billet supply side achieved a temporary stable transition amid these mixed trends. The daily average production of primary aluminum billets in November pulled back slightly to around 50,000 mt/day, down MoM from October, in line with earlier expectations. However, SMM expects that as the off-season deepens in December and high aluminum prices further suppress processing fees and downstream demand...