ILZSG Publishes Quarterly Report on Metals Demand and Supply

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) has published the preliminary supply and demand statistics for the first quarter of 2018 for Lead and Zinc.

According to ILZSG, global refined lead demand exceeded supply by 37 kt in the first quarter of 2018. The reported inventory of the metal has declined by 26 kt during this period. The global lead mine production surged higher by nearly 9% during Q1 of 2018, when compared with the mine output during the corresponding quarter a year before. The jump in mine output was mainly due to higher output from China, Morocco and Turkey.

ASLO READ: World Lead Demand and Supply Statistics for 2017

The global output of refined lead metal increased marginally by 3.4%, supported by 4.6% production rise in China. Australia and the U.S. recorded higher production over the previous year. On the other hand, production by the Republic of Korea declined by 3.7%, when compared to the first quarter of 2017. The Chinese and the U.S. demand rose sharply by 7.1% and 4.6% respectively. The European usage increased by 1%. Overall, global refined lead metal usage was up by 4% in Q1 2018.

Meantime, the global market for refined zinc metal ended in a surplus of 25kt. The total reported inventories jumped higher by 118kt during the first quarter of 2018. The zinc mine production remained more or less stable. The rise in mine production in Australia, Turkey and the U.S. was offset by production declines in Canada, China and India.

Global refined zinc metal production rose by 1.7%. Higher production in Australia, Belgium, China, Norway and Peru was partially offset by declines in the US and India. The zinc usage across the world increased modestly by 0.4%. India and China reported increased usage, whereas other countries such as Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. reported lower usage. The European demand also declined during the quarter.