Page 63 from: March 2016
63March 2016
last year, according to the ICSG.
Refinery capacity utilisation was virtu-
ally the same in the first 11 months of
both 2014 and 2015 at around 83%.
Lead
Global production of refined lead
declined almost 8% from 10.971 mil-
lion tonnes in 2014 to 10.119 million
tonnes last year – but the market sur-
plus actually increased year on year
owing to the 8.3% slide in usage from
10.961 million tonnes to 10.056 million
tonnes, according to latest data from
the International Lead & Zinc Study
Group. Therefore, a refined lead excess
of 10 000 tonnes for 2014 was con-
verted into a surplus of 63 000 tonnes
last year.
According to the US Census Bureau, the
country’s lead scrap exports bucked the
general trend by climbing just over 27%
last year to more than 46 000 tonnes.
For the USA, this was the only main-
stream non-ferrous metal to witness
an upturn in overseas scrap shipments
last year.
As regards latest price indications, new
soft lead has been trading recently in
Germany at around US$ 2000 per tonne
while soft lead scrap (Paket) has been
yielding around US$ 1547 and old lead
scrap some US$ 1667.
Zinc
Worldwide, refined zinc usage exceeded
production in each of the final three
months of last year, confirms the Inter-
national Lead & Zinc Study Group. But
for the year as a whole, the market
swapped a deficit of 224 000 tonnes in
2014 for a surplus of 123 000 tonnes
in 2015. While global refined zinc usage
edged up from 13.733 million tonnes to
13.83 million tonnes, production soared
from 13.509 million tonnes in 2014 to
13.953 million tonnes last year.
The zinc market in Europe has remained
lacklustre in recent weeks and buyers
have played the familiar ‘wait-and-see’
game, choosing to order only enough
material to cover their short-term
needs; long-term contracts have been
something of a rarity by comparison.
Specifically in Germany, special high-
grade zinc has been valued of late at
around US$ 1805 per tonne while
old zinc scrap (Zebra) has been fetch-
ing US$ 1300 and old zinc alloy scrap
nearer US$ 1445.
As reported by Metal Bulletin, an ana-
lyst with the China Nonferrous Metals
Industry Association (CNIA) has told the
International Zinc Association’s annual
conference that his country’s zinc con-
sumption is likely to slow around 0.5%
this year before climbing 2.6% in 2017.
Last year, China’s usage of the metal
edged 0.5% higher.
Reference date: February 29, 2016LME Non-Ferrous Prices & Stocks
Contributing to the
Non-Ferrous Metals
Market Analysis:
• Ralf Schmitz, German
non- ferrous trade association
VDM (Europe)
Non-Ferrous
Aluminium
Lead
Copper
Zinc
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—– LME stocks (x 1000 metric tonnes)
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—– LME stocks (x 1000 metric tonnes)
—– LME prices (in U.S. dollars/MT)
—– LME stocks (x 1000 metric tonnes)
—– LME prices (in U.S. dollars/MT)
F M A M J J A S O N D J F
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F M A M J J A S O N D J F
F M A M J J A S O N D J F
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