China Zinc Price Today
Live China zinc price from the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), shown in US dollars and Chinese yuan per tonne.
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China Zinc Price (SHFE)
Shanghai Futures Exchange settlement in US dollars ($/tonne)
How China prices zinc
China is the largest consumer of zinc, most of it for galvanizing steel, and the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) zinc contract is the domestic benchmark. SHFE quotes zinc in Chinese yuan per tonne; we convert it to US dollars so you can compare China's zinc price with the LME.
Why China's zinc price matters
Zinc demand tracks galvanized-steel output for construction, autos, and appliances. SHFE zinc inventories and the SHFE-LME spread are useful indicators of Chinese refined-zinc availability.
Reading the chart in yuan and dollars
SHFE quotes zinc in Chinese yuan per tonne (¥/t). Use the currency toggle above the chart to switch between the native yuan price and the US-dollar equivalent, which we compute from the live USD/CNY exchange rate. Viewing both makes it easy to separate a real move in the zinc price from a move that is really just the yuan strengthening or weakening against the dollar. For warehouse inventory and settlement detail, see our SHFE zinc page.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is the China zinc price set?
- The Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) zinc contract is China's domestic zinc benchmark, settled in Chinese yuan per tonne. We convert it to US dollars per tonne using the live USD/CNY rate so it lines up with the LME zinc price.
- What drives China's zinc demand?
- Around half of all zinc is used to galvanize steel, so SHFE zinc demand tracks construction, automobiles, and appliances. Smelter treatment charges and refined-zinc output are the main supply-side swing factors.
- How does the China zinc price compare with the LME?
- SHFE and LME zinc trade off the same global fundamentals but diverge on the import arbitrage, VAT, and local smelter supply. Watching the spread and SHFE warehouse stocks gives a read on domestic refined-zinc availability.
- Why watch SHFE zinc inventory?
- Rising SHFE warehouse stock usually signals softening Chinese demand or strong smelter output, while sharp draws point to tightness. Inventory swings often lead moves in the SHFE-LME spread.