This week (March 27-April 2, 2026), the average operating rate of primary lead smelters in the three provinces was 62.05%, down 0.76 percentage points WoW from the previous week. This week, after a small-to-medium-sized smelter in Henan suspended production for maintenance, production in the region recorded a MoM decline, and the operating rate in Henan continued its downward trend. Operating activity in Hunan remained stable this week, while in Yunnan, one smelter cut production due to maintenance and another slightly increased output after resuming from maintenance, resulting in a slight decline in the operating rate in Yunnan this week. In addition, some small smelters in Yunnan and Hunan still had no expectations for resumption due to factors such as raw materials and downstream orders, while a smelter in Yunnan that had previously delayed maintenance is expected to resume production next week.

This week (March 20-26, 2026), the average operating rate of primary lead smelters in the three provinces was 62.81, up 0.22 percentage points WoW from the previous week. This week, a small-to-medium-sized smelter in Henan entered a routine 10-15-day maintenance cycle, leading to a slight decline in the operating rate in Henan. In Hunan, a medium-sized smelter that had previously not yet reached full production slightly ramped up output this week, contributing the main increase in production; smelter production in Yunnan remained stable. In addition, some small smelters in Yunnan and Hunan still had no expectations of resuming production for the time being due to raw materials and downstream orders, among other factors.

This week (March 12, 2026–March 18, 2026), the average operating rate of primary lead smelters in the three provinces was 62.59, up 1.52 percentage points WoW. This week, production at smelters in Henan fluctuated slightly but increased overall, while a mid-sized smelter in Hunan resumed production this week, contributing the main increase in output; in Yunnan, one smelter slightly raised production, while the resumption of operations at another smelter was delayed until late March. In addition, some small-scale smelters in Yunnan still had no expectations of resuming production due to raw materials, downstream orders, and other factors.

This week (March 06, 2026–March 12, 2026), the average operating rate of primary lead smelters in three provinces was 56.97, up 4.11 percentage points WoW from the previous week after the Spring Festival. This week, smelters in Henan maintained stable production. In Hunan, the smelter that resumed operations at the end of last week’s maintenance raised output as scheduled this week, while some smelters in the region had yet to fully recover and are expected to return to normal production next week; in Yunnan, smelters only slightly increased output this week after resuming production, and some small-scale smelters had yet to resume production.

During the week of February 22 to February 26, 2026, the average operating rate of primary lead smelters in three provinces was 51.47%, up 1.14 percentage points WoW from the rate during the Chinese New Year holiday week, but down 8.24 percentage points WoW from the pre-holiday rate.

This week (February 6, 2026 - February 12, 2026), the average operating rate of primary lead smelters in three provinces was 59.71%, down 1.39 percentage points WoW. This week, production at smelters in Henan marginally declined slightly. In Hunan, production at smelters continued to decline after maintenance shutdowns, with some plants extending maintenance shutdowns until the end of February due to the Chinese New Year holiday. In Yunnan, production continued to decline due to maintenance-related production cuts and increased holiday maintenance shutdowns. In other regions, such as South China and East China, production remained stable after the resumption of routine maintenance during the holiday period.