Copper Plate/Sheet and Strip Industry Defies Off-Season Trends with Strong July Performance

The copper plate/sheet and strip industry showed resilience in July despite being in its traditional off-season. The operating rate was 74.53%, down 0.43 percentage points from June but up 8.91% year-over-year, according to SMM data.

A key factor contributing to the strong performance was the steady demand from emerging sectors such as transformers, AI computing centers, energy storage, new energy components, and integrated circuits. Orders for copper strip and various alloy plates/sheets and strips also performed steadily, while lead frame-related orders continued to trend positively.

However, SMM expects a slight decrease in the operating rate in August, predicting it will be 73.27%, down 1.26 percentage points from July. The industry remains in its off-season, and regular downstream demand is expected to be slow to recover. Additionally, rising copper prices may have some impact on consumption.