Time flies as the midpoint of 2026 approaches. The zinc concentrate market has witnessed another extraordinary price cycle this year. As of June 12, domestic zinc concentrate treatment charges (TCs) plunged to -50 yuan per metric ton of zinc metal, marking the arrival of negative TCs. Meanwhile, TCs for imported zinc concentrate tumbled to -71.2 US dollars per dry metric ton, both hitting all-time record lows.

Affected by the traditional consumption off-season and raw material price transmission, China’s deep-processed manganese products came under overall downward pressure this week. Products showed differentiated market performances due to distinct supply-demand fundamentals, with obvious linkage across the industrial chain.

Trading activity in China's electrolytic manganese market remained sluggish this week. After an earlier decline, mainstream spot prices have stabilized at a transaction level of 17,800 yuan per ton.

As we near the midpoint of the year, zinc concentrate treatment charges (TCs) have repeatedly tumbled to historic lows. As of June 5, the average TC for domestic zinc concentrate fell to 50 yuan per metric ton of metal content, while the TC for imported zinc concentrate dropped to -70.75 US dollars per dry metric ton.

SMM May 28 News:This week (May 22–29), China's waste lithium battery recycling sector witnessed a wave of project public announcements and launches, spanning more than ten provinces and cities including Guangdong, Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Tianjin, Zhejiang, and Hubei.

The Bohai New Area Administrative Committee and Huanghua Municipal People's Government of Cangzhou, Hebei Province, released a notice on the proposed approval of the environmental impact report for a Hebei company’s new energy vehicle power battery material processing and echelon utilization and resource center project. The total investment is 500 million yuan, and the location is in the Lingang Economic and Technological Development Zone. Construction will include a combined dismantling and black mass workshop, a concentration and crystallization workshop, one raw material warehouse, one hazardous waste room, a concentrated sulfuric acid pump area, and storage tank area. The project will build one dismantling and echelon utilization line,