[SMM Flash News] The 2026 Chinese New Year holiday fell in February, significantly shortening effective production time, which was one of the reasons for the sharp decline in brass billet imports in February. In addition, persistently high raw material costs clearly suppressed import demand. In terms of operating conditions, the pace of work resumption in the brass billet industry after Chinese New Year was also noticeably slower than in previous years.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China’s copper plate/sheet and strip exports were 13,233.73 mt in January 2026, up 30.59% MoM and up 27.53% YoY; in February, exports were 8,395.28 mt, down 36.56% MoM and up 11.87% YoY. In January-February, China’s cumulative copper plate/sheet and strip exports reached 21,629.01 mt, up 20.96% YoY cumulatively. In January-February 2026, China’s copper plate/sheet and strip exports rose 20.96% YoY, maintaining overall steady growth, with exports covering 120 countries and regions. In terms of export pattern, Vietnam and South Korea ranked first and second, with export volumes of 2,549 mt and 2,542 mt, up 13.6% YoY and 42.5% YoY, respectively. India maintained steady growth and ranked third with exports of 1,898 mt, with the YoY growth rate reaching 29.6%; Taiwan, China and Japan followed, with export volumes of 1,864 mt and 1,375 mt, respectively. Among them, Taiwan, China was up 5.4% YoY, while Japan was the only major destination market to post a YoY decline, down 16.7%. In terms of growth rates, emerging markets were particularly outstanding: Mexico’s YoY growth rate reached as high as 149.0%, with exports surging from 304 mt to 757 mt, making it the most prominent growth market. Malaysia, Thailand, and Germany also performed strongly, with YoY growth rates of 47.0%, 47.2%, and 44.6%, respectively, all achieving growth of more than 40%. The structure of China’s copper plate/sheet and strip export trade modes continued the characteristics seen in the previous period. Customs data showed that in January-February, processing trade with imported materials remained the core export mode, with exports of 14,335 mt, accounting for 66.3% and firmly maintaining its dominant position; Processing and Assembling exports were 3,655 mt, accounting for 16.9%; Ordinary Trade exports were 2,182 mt, accounting for 10.1%; and other trade modes totaled 1,458 mt, accounting for 6.7%. In terms of detailed product structure, in January-February 2026, China’s copper plate/sheet and strip exports were still dominated by copper strip, with exports of 14,151 mt, accounting for 65% and up 23.8% YoY, serving as the core driver boosting overall exports. Bronze strip performed strongly, with a YoY growth rate of 34.8%, the fastest among major categories; cupronickel strip, brass strip, and other categories also achieved YoY growth, with the overall structure remaining stable and growth momentum abundant. (HS code 74091110,74091190,74091900,74092100,74092900,74093100,74093900,74094000,74099000)

[SMM Brass Bar Flash] Affected by the sharp correction in copper prices, some terminal clients saw intensified wait-and-see sentiment, and the pace of order placement slowed somewhat, causing certain disruptions to new orders for brass billet. Overall, however, most large and medium-sized enterprises currently had sufficient orders on hand and were stepping up production to rush deliveries, driving the operating rate of the brass billet industry up 2.18 percentage points WoW to 54.13% this week (3.13-3.19).

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] Affected by tight recycled brass raw materials supply, brass billet enterprises' raw material inventory remained at a medium level of 4.4 days; finished product inventories edged up to 5.25 days due to a slowdown in downstream cargo pick-up.

[SMM Brass Bar Bulletin] According to SMM, affected by price fluctuations, copper billet enterprises mostly adopted a strategy of restocking when prices were low on the raw material side to control procurement costs; downstream enterprises maintained a procurement pace of purchasing as needed, with relatively cautious sentiment toward picking up goods. As a major brass billet production hub in China, Ningbo saw enterprise production and shipment pace remain stable, with a moderate overall market trading atmosphere, though wait-and-see sentiment increased.

Fujian Guangmin Copper Industry Co., Ltd.'s annual 35,000-ton cold-rolled high-precision copper strip project is striving for a strong start in the first quarter with solid efforts. The Fujian Guangmin Copper Cold-Rolled High-Precision Copper Strip Project is a key cooperation project between Guangdong and Longyan, with a total investment of 1 billion yuan.The project is being constructed in two phases: the first phase includes the construction of an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons of high-performance purple copper and brass high-precision strips and ancillary facilities, while the second phase involves the construction of an annual production capacity of 15,000 tons of high-copper alloy high-precision strips and related facilities.

This week (3.6-3.12), the operating rate of China's brass billet industry rebounded 8.72 percentage points WoW to 51.95%, with a notably faster pace of work resumption. Enterprise orders generally improved, with Ningbo standing out and production schedules remaining relatively full; downstream hardware, plumbing, and other sectors actively resumed work, demand from the refrigeration sector stayed steady, and copper prices pulling back to below 100,000 yuan/mt drove the release of some purchase orders.

This week (3.6-3.12), the operating rate of the brass billet industry rose 8.72 percentage points WoW to 51.95%, with industry conditions continuing to rebound . According to enterprise feedback, overall orders were favorable, with Ningbo standing out in particular as order growth was significant and enterprises' production schedules were full; downstream traditional sectors such as hardware accessories and plumbing and sanitary ware had fully resumed work and production, with strong production enthusiasm. Meanwhile, orders from the refrigeration sector remained stable, continuing to support industry demand. In addition, copper prices pulled back to below 100,000 yuan/mt this week, boosting downstream purchase willingness to buy the dip and further driving order growth. Multiple positive factors pushed the operating rate steadily higher. On the inventory side, this week the industry had 4.23 days of raw material inventories and 5.06 days of finished product inventories, both returning to normal levels. Looking ahead to next week (3.13-3.19), enterprises currently had sufficient orders on hand and were all operating at full capacity. Some enterprises that resumed work relatively late after the Chinese New Year were stepping up production and accelerating deliveries. Along with the continued recovery in downstream demand, SMM expects the operating rate of the brass billet industry to increase 2.82 percentage points WoW to 54.77% next week, and the industry's recovery momentum is expected to continue.

Currently, brass billet enterprises have sufficient orders on hand and strong production enthusiasm. Enterprises that resumed work relatively late after the holiday are accelerating production scheduling and deliveries. SMM expected the operating rate of brass billet producers to rise by another 2.82 percentage points WoW next week (3.13-3.19) to 54.77%, with the industry maintaining a steady recovery.

After the Lantern Festival, brass billet enterprises basically fully resumed work and production, driving the industry operating rate this week (2.27-3.5) up 26.1 percentage points MoM to 43.23%. However, overall market performance remained cautious. As downstream sectors such as hardware and sanitary ware resumed work and production slowly, new orders were limited, leading to weak stockpiling sentiment among enterprises. This week, days of raw material inventories at sampled enterprises only held at a mid-to-low level of 4.29 days, while days of finished product inventories were 5.19 days, also at a mid-level. This reflected that the industry was still in a wait-and-see phase amid destocking, with overall trading activity average. Looking ahead to next week (3.6-3.12), as the traditional peak consumption season approaches and downstream further resumes work, new orders are expected to increase gradually. SMM expected the operating rate to rise 2.69 percentage points MoM to 45.92%, and market activity was expected to improve.