Data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that China produced 534,600 mt of refined copper in July, down 33,600 mt on the month and hitting a 5-month low.

The maintenance operations at some copper smelters and continuing tight supply for scrap copper should be mainly blamed for the output decline.



As the customs conducted strict inspection on scrap copper, transportation of imported scrap copper from ports to smelters has been delayed, and smelters depleting their existing inventories reported shortage of raw materials.



Yunnan Tin Group and Chifeng Jinjian entered maintenance cycles in August, so output is unlikely to show significant rises in August.