Chinese non-ferrous metal output saw steady increase during initial six months

BEIJING (Scrap Monster) : The non-ferrous metal output by China during the initial six months of the year 2013 has shown significant improvement. The rise in output was mainly aided by the increased output of copper, aluminum, lead and zinc.

According to data, the total non-ferrous metal output by China increased by 10%. The copper output totaled 3.23 million tons, increasing by 12.8% year-on-year. The aluminum output too increased by 8% over the previous year to reach 10.58 million tons. The lead output totaled 2.27 million tons, recording an increase of 12.4% year-on-year. The zinc output also increased by 9.1% over the previous year to touch 2.57 million tons.

However, the growth rate of total completed investments in the country’s non ferrous metals industry registered de-growth of 3.3%. The investments in the processing programs went higher by 44.5% and those in smelting programs diminished by 8.5%.

The average price of most non ferrous metals saw a huge decline during the period. In the month of June, the average prices of copper, aluminum, lead and zinc have fallen by 6%, 9%, 10% and 3% respectively.

During the six-month period of the year from January to June, the exports and imports of major non ferrous metals declined sharply. The import income during the period totaled $ 48.9 billion, 8.7% lower when compared to the import income during similar period last year. The export volumes too were down by 3.8% year-on-year to $ 13.9 billion.