[SMM Brass Bar Flash] According to SMM data, the weekly operating rate of sampled brass bar enterprises this week (7.24-7.30) was 48.81%, pulled back slightly by 0.32 percentage point WoW, and sector production remained under pressure. In the short term, the off-season end-user market is unlikely to see significant improvement, and the operating rate is expected to decline further next week.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash] This week (7.17-7.23), the SMM weekly operating rate of brass bar enterprises was 49.13%, down 0.48 percentage points WoW. Downstream off-season market conditions made a substantial recovery unlikely, while the tight supply of recycled brass raw materials remained unresolved, keeping industry production under pressure.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] Looking ahead to next week (4.3-4.9), order momentum has cooled somewhat from the initial period after the Chinese New Year, but the refrigeration sector still provides support, and large enterprises are maintaining active production. Considering multiple factors, SMM expects the industry's operating rate next week to edge up 0.32 percentage points MoM to 55.48, with overall operations remaining mild.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] This week (3.27-4.2), the operating rate of the brass billet industry came in at 55.16, up a slight 0.77 percentage points WoW. The industry as a whole remained mild, supported strongly by robust demand from downstream refrigeration and heat dissipation sectors.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] Looking ahead to April, enterprises reported that current order momentum has cooled somewhat compared with the initial period after the Chinese New Year, but the refrigeration sector still maintained a certain degree of support. Large enterprises maintained an active production stance and continued to capture market share. SMM expects the operating rate in April to increase slightly by 1.47 percentage points MoM to 54.06%.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] After returning from the holiday, brass bar enterprises saw solid order performance, exceeding market expectations. Robust demand from downstream refrigeration and heat dissipation sectors provided strong support, while downstream customers actively picked up goods to fulfill orders, driving a slight drop back in finished product inventories at copper billet enterprises.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] In March, the comprehensive operating rate of copper billet enterprises was 52.59, up 29.81 percentage points MoM and down 1.79 percentage points YoY. In March, the operating rate of large enterprises was 59.81, that of medium-sized enterprises was 43.93, and the operating rate of small enterprises was only 28.7, with clear divergence among enterprises.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] As of the week ending March 27, the weekly CIF China quotation for US brass scrap had risen to $7,750/mt. Recycled brass raw materials prices continued to stay high, and overall spot availability in the market remained tight. High raw material costs made brass billet enterprises more cautious in their procurement strategies, with stockpiling willingness weakening significantly.

[SMM Brass Bar Flash News] Recently, the brass bar industry has been facing the dual challenge of persistently high raw material costs and diverging market demand. According to SMM, although the industry's overall operating rate has rebounded slightly amid the continued rise in prices of recycled brass raw materials, enterprises' willingness to stockpile has declined markedly, and wait-and-see sentiment in the market remains strong.

Recently, the brass billet industry has been facing the dual test of elevated raw material costs and diverging market demand.