[Many Galvanizing Plants Shut Down for Labour Day Holiday, Operating Rate Weakened]: The galvanizing industry's operating rate was 47.76% this week, down 13.45 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices surged this week, and downstream purchase willingness was low, but some long-term contract deliveries arrived, and zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises edged up.

[Some Galvanizing Plants Started Holiday Early, Operating Rates Weakened]: The operating rates of galvanising producers this week were 61.21%, down 1.17 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices pulled back to levels more acceptable to downstream this week. Downstream players stockpiled ahead of the Labour Day holiday in a timely manner, and zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises increased.

[Stable Production Schedules at Galvanizing Plants, Operating Rates Edged Up Slightly]: The operating rates of galvanising producers stood at 62.38% this week, up 0.25 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices fluctuated at highs throughout the week, with downstream buyers mainly restocking on rigid demand. There was no pre-holiday stockpiling sentiment for the time being, and zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises declined slightly.

[SMM Steel] Hoa Phat Group inaugurated a new steel pipe plant in Tay Ninh with an investment of over VND 2 trillion, adding 400,000 tpa and raising total pipe capacity to 1.2 million tpa. The 15-hectare facility produces black pipes, galvanized pipes, HDG pipes, coils, and large-diameter pipes meeting ASTM, BS EN, and JIS standards. Equipped with a 10 MW rooftop solar system covering over 50% of power demand, the plant supports both capacity expansion and green production goals, with plans to run at full utilization to meet domestic and export demand.

[Galvanizing Plant Operating Rates Rose]: The operating rates of galvanising producers stood at 62.13% this week, up 4.24 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices fluctuated at highs throughout the week, with downstream players picking up fewer goods and mainly consuming existing stocks, leading to a decline in zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises.

[Qingming Holiday Impact on Galvanizing Operations]: The operating rates of galvanising producers stood at 57.89% this week, edging down 0.86 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices fluctuated at highs throughout the week, with downstream players picking up fewer goods and mainly consuming existing stocks. However, zinc ingots previously priced by galvanising enterprises were delivered successively, and zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises edged down slightly.

[Environmental Protection in Northern China Affected Galvanizing Operating Rates]: This week, the operating rate of the galvanizing industry was 58.75, down 0.13 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices fluctuated at highs this week, and galvanising enterprises mainly digested inventories, but with only small volumes of earlier price-fixed purchases and long-term contracts, zinc ingot inventories at galvanising enterprises edged down. The operating rate declined this week, mainly due to environmental protection-driven production restrictions in some northern regions, which affected operations.

As expectations for the peak-season demand in the “Golden March” gradually begin to materialize, galvanizing operating rates are rising. Can downstream consumption sustain its peak-season performance going forward?

[Consumption Expectations Were Gradually Realized, Operating Rates of Galvanising Producers Continued to Increase]: This week, the operating rate of the galvanizing industry was 59.7, up 6.69 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices pulled back sharply this week, galvanising enterprises actively fixed prices to stockpile, and zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises increased significantly.

According to SMM research, most galvanising enterprises resumed production between the tenth day (February 26) and the sixteenth day (March 4) of the first lunar month. Small and medium-sized enterprises generally resumed operations after the Lantern Festival (March 2), with an average holiday duration of around 21 days.