Hunan Province has launched the second round of its provincial ecological and environmental protection inspection "look-back" campaign. The first batch of seven inspection teams has been fully deployed since June 13, 2026, covering the cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou, Yueyang, Shaoyang, Hengyang, Huaihua, and Zhangjiajie. According to market sources, some lead-zinc mines have suspended production as a result of the inspections. SMM will continue to monitor and assess the potential impact on zinc concentrate supply.

According to SMM, a zinc mine in North China continued processing lower-grade ore throughout June, resulting in a month-on-month decline of approximately 500 metal tonnes in zinc concentrate production. Output is expected to decrease further in July.

[Zinc Concentrate Production Update] SMM understands that a zinc mine in southwest China remained suspended throughout June. The resumption of production is now expected to be delayed until mid-July, which is expected to bring an increase of nearly 500 mt in metal content.

This week’s weekly TC for domestically produced Pb50 remained unchanged at an average of 200 yuan/mt Pb, while the average weekly TC for imported Pb60 was revised down to -$165/dmt. During the week, TCs for domestically produced standard ore held steady, but the market for high-grade lead concentrates (lead content above 55%) remained tight, with mainstream transactions primarily at zero or negative TCs. Additionally, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Dachaidan in Haixi, Qinghai, during the week; according to SMM, lead and zinc mines in Qinghai were unaffected and production remained normal. For imported ore, limited arrivals and high sulphuric acid prices meant smelters had strong demand for ore, pushing TCs down further, with some silver-lead ore prices reported at -$260/dmt. Amid expectations for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, disruption to lead concentrate supply has been minor, but market estimates suggest that if sulphuric acid prices fall sharply, thereby impacting primary lead smelter production, lead TCs may only then have a chance of stopping their decline. In the short term, ore supply remains tight.

On June 4th, Ivanhoe Mines announced that the Kipushi Mine produced a record 25,677 tonnes of zinc in concentrate in May, up 12% from the previous record set in January 2026. During the month, Kipushi mined and hoisted 85,811 tonnes of ore. As of the end of May, surface high-grade run-of-mine stockpiles stood at approximately 12,000 tonnes, grading around 37% zinc, while lower-grade stockpiles totalled approximately 254,000 tonnes at an average grade of around 22% zinc. Kipushi’s year-to-date zinc production reached approximately 110,000 tonnes, putting the mine on track to meet its 2026 production guidance of 240,000–290,000 tonnes and rank among the world’s four largest zinc mines. Construction of Kipushi’s second tailings storage facility was more than 90% complete, with the first deposition of tailings expected in October 2026.

According to the latest customs data, China imported 447,700 mt in physical content of zinc concentrates in April 2026, down 17.95% MoM from March (97,900 mt in physical content) and down 9.49% YoY. Cumulative zinc concentrate imports from January to April totaled 2.0021 million mt in physical content, up 16.92% YoY cumulatively.