According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the production of ten types of non-ferrous metals in China reached 40.32 million tons in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 2.9%; The monthly production in June was 6.95 million tons, with a year-on-year increase of 4.4%, reaching a new high for the year. While the production of primary metals such as copper and aluminum is steadily increasing, the performance in the field of recycled metals is particularly impressive. The industry’s green transformation is accelerating, and the annual production is expected to break historical records.

1. Primary metals: Copper and aluminum prices are running at high levels, and production is steadily increasing

(1) Strong demand for copper and aluminum, with prices supporting industry profits

In the first half of the year, copper and aluminum, as the “main force” of the non-ferrous metal industry, continued to operate at high prices. Copper prices have maintained a volatile upward trend due to factors such as global supply tightening and expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Aluminum prices have performed better than other metals due to strict domestic production capacity control and strong cost support.

According to industry analysis, the growth of primary metal production is mainly due to:

Explosive demand for new energy: The consumption of copper and aluminum in fields such as new energy vehicles and photovoltaics continues to rise, becoming the core driving force behind production.

Increased infrastructure investment: State Grid Corporation of China has expanded its investment scale, accelerated the landing of ultra-high voltage and intelligent distribution network projects, and promoted the application of copper and aluminum in power equipment.

(2) Leading enterprises have outstanding performance and improved capacity utilization rate

Leading companies such as Aluminum Corporation of China and Jiangxi Copper Industry saw a year-on-year increase of over 10% in net profit in the first quarter, indicating a sustained improvement in industry prosperity. Among them, the utilization rate of electrolytic aluminum production capacity remains high, and the production of refined copper has increased year-on-year, indicating the optimization of the market supply and demand pattern.

2. Recycled metals: production increased by 4.55% year-on-year, with significant results in green transformation

(1) The production of recycled aluminum has surged by 10.89%, becoming the “main force” of growth

According to the statistics of the Recycled Metals Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the total production of major recycled non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminum, lead, zinc) in China from January to June was 9.98 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.55%.

Among them, the production of recycled aluminum reached 5.6 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 10.89%, far exceeding the growth rate of primary aluminum and becoming a benchmark for the industry’s green transformation.

Policy driven: Under the national “dual carbon” target, the recycled metal industry has received strong policy support, with increased tax incentives and subsidies, and high enthusiasm for enterprise expansion.

Technological breakthrough: Upgrading the smelting technology of recycled aluminum, increasing the recycling rate of waste aluminum, reducing costs by about 15% compared to primary aluminum, and enhancing market competitiveness.

(2) The steady growth of recycled copper, lead and zinc, and the improvement of the circular economy system

Except for recycled aluminum, the production of recycled copper increased by 3.2% year-on-year, while the production of recycled lead and zinc increased by 2.1% and 1.8% respectively. The industry promotes the efficient utilization of waste metal resources and reduces dependence on primary minerals by building a “urban mining” recycling system. For example, multiple recycled metal industrial parks have been built in Zhejiang, Guangdong and other places, forming an integrated chain of “recycling dismantling smelting processing”, with an annual processing capacity of over 10 million tons of waste metals.

3. Outlook for the second half of the year: Production may reach new highs, with a focus on green and intelligent development

(1) Annual production is expected to break historical records

Industry experts analyze that in the second half of the year, with the continuous release of demand in new energy, infrastructure and other fields, coupled with the further release of renewable metal production capacity, China’s annual output of ten non-ferrous metals is expected to exceed 80 million tons, setting a new historical high. Among them, the proportion of recycled metal production is expected to increase to over 25%, becoming the core engine of industry growth.

(2) Accelerate the promotion of greenization and intelligence

The future industry will focus on two major directions:

Green and low-carbon: Promote low-carbon technologies such as short process smelting and hydrogen reduction to reduce energy consumption per unit product; Expand the application scenarios of recycled metals and help achieve the “dual carbon” goal.

Intelligent upgrade: Utilizing big data and artificial intelligence to optimize production processes and improve resource utilization efficiency; Build intelligent factories to achieve digital management of the entire industry chain.

Reproduction requires retaining the source – Changjiang Nonferrous Network

Driven by the dual engines of new energy and infrastructure, China’s non-ferrous metal production reached 40.32 million tons in the first half of the year, and the production of recycled aluminum surged by 10.89%.