南华期货有色金属铅2026年度展望：原料刚性约束与存量需求韧性的双重共振

1. Report's Industry Investment Rating No relevant information provided. 2. Core Viewpoints of the Report - In 2026, the global lead market will shift from a tight - balance to an inventory accumulation cycle. The domestic market will show an independent cost - defense trend due to the bottleneck of recycled lead raw materials, presenting a pattern of weak overseas and strong domestic markets. The expected trading range for the main contract of SHFE lead is around 16,200 - 18,200 yuan/ton, and for LME lead, it is about 1,950 - 2,200 US dollars/ton [2]. - On the supply side, primary lead will maintain high production driven by high by - product profits, contributing the main increment. Recycled lead production growth will stagnate due to a 10% - 15% loss in the effective supply of waste batteries caused by fiscal and tax compliance and reverse invoicing policies. The implicit tightening of raw materials will establish the cost line of recycled lead as a solid foundation for industry pricing [2]. - On the demand side, it enters an era dominated by existing stocks, with an expected growth rate of 1.5%. The relaxation of the weight limit for two - wheeled vehicles in the new national standard to 63 kg will boost the share of lead - acid batteries, effectively offsetting the substitution of lithium batteries. The global surplus of 102,000 tons will mainly accumulate overseas, while the domestic surplus will be only about 30,000 tons, meaning that domestic visible inventory will remain at a low level and the export window will be difficult to open [2]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Chapter 2: Market Review - In the first three quarters of 2025, the lead price experienced a logical switch from cost - based pricing to macro - disturbances and then to supply - side contraction due to policies. The price center gradually increased in a wide - range fluctuation. In the fourth quarter, it showed a reverse - V shape, with the game between macro and industry intensifying again at the end of the year [3][6]. 3.2 Chapter 3: Supply Side 3.2.1 Mine End: Transition to Tight - Balance - In 2026, the global lead concentrate supply will enter a substantial recovery cycle, with the total output growth rate expected to reach an inflection point. The growth rate is expected to rise significantly to over 2.2% from the low - growth range of 0.7% - 1.3% in 2025, and the global total output of lead concentrate is expected to exceed 4.67 million tons. The supply - demand pattern will transition from a structural shortage to a tight - balance [9]. - The concentrated commissioning of overseas new and expanded projects is the primary driving force for supply growth in 2026, with an expected new increment of about 212,000 tons. China's import volume of lead concentrate is expected to increase slightly, and the frequency of import window openings may be better than in 2025 [12]. - Although the domestic mine end has capacity expansion plans, the actual output elasticity is limited due to compliance constraints. The new domestic lead concentrate capacity in 2026 is about 82,000 metal tons, but the self - sufficiency rate of the domestic raw material market is difficult to reverse fundamentally [14]. - The profit distribution pattern between mining and smelting is difficult to change fundamentally, and low processing fees (TC) will become the norm, providing cost support for lead prices [16]. 3.2.2 Lead Ingot: Moderate Recovery and Structural Differentiation of Supply - Globally, the supply system of refined lead in 2026 is entering a slow - recovery channel. The growth of total output is mainly driven by the recovery outside China. The global refined lead output is expected to increase by 0.8% - 1.2% year - on - year, approaching 13.5 million tons [18]. - In the Chinese market, the growth momentum of supply is slowing down. The domestic refined lead output in 2026 is expected to be about 7.8 million tons (with a floating range of 40,000 tons), and the year - on - year growth rate will narrow to 1.7% - 2.0% [18]. - In the smelting structure, primary lead shows strong production resilience and will be the core contributor to supply increment in 2026, with an expected output growth rate of 2.5% - 3.0%. Recycled lead is facing cost and policy challenges and is the biggest risk point for supply reduction. Its output growth is expected to be only 0.6% - 1.0%, or even show local contraction [20][22]. - In 2026, the smelting end will show a clear structural differentiation of strong primary lead and weak recycled lead, and the price center of lead will be firmly supported by the marginal cost of recycled lead [24]. 3.3 Chapter 4: Demand Side 3.3.1 Overall Consumption: Rigid Support and Marginal Differentiation under Stock Dominance - In 2026, the year - on - year growth rate of China's refined lead consumption is expected to narrow to about 1.5%, and the global demand growth rate will drop to 0.9%. The domestic lead consumption has rigid support, and the overall demand will maintain a narrow - range fluctuation pattern with a rigid bottom and limited upward elasticity [26]. 3.3.2 Lead - Acid Batteries: Differentiated Start - Up and Structural Reconstruction of Exports - In 2025, the lead - acid battery production showed a significant feature of differentiated start - up rates among different types and seasonal recovery. The overall industry's comprehensive start - up rate decreased compared with 2024, with traction batteries being the core support in the second half of the year, while starting and stationary batteries were weak [27]. - In 2025, the external demand for lead - acid batteries declined, and the export volume recorded a negative growth for the first time in recent years. The export price advantage was small, and the export structure changed significantly. The export volume to the United States and some Middle Eastern countries decreased sharply, while the export to Vietnam increased significantly [29]. - In 2025, the inventory in the industrial chain was mismatched, and the inventory pressure was transferred from the production end to the channel end. The battery factory's inventory decreased, while the dealer's inventory reached a historical high, which may overdraw the restocking potential in the first quarter of 2026 [31]. 3.3.3 Electric Bicycles: Policy Dividend Switch and Technological Return of "Lithium Retreat and Lead Advance" - In 2025, the electric bicycle market showed a "policy - driven" recovery, and the "trade - in" policy boosted the demand for lead - acid power batteries [33]. - In 2026, the core driving force of the industry will shift from fiscal subsidies to industrial standards. The revision of the new national standard for electric bicycles will release long - term institutional dividends, and the market share of lead - acid batteries is expected to stabilize and rebound [34][35]. - The lead consumption in the electric bicycle sector in 2026 is expected to grow moderately, with an estimated growth rate of lead consumption in the range of 1.5% - 2.0% [35]. 3.4 Chapter 5: Supply - Demand Balance Sheet and Inventory 3.4.1 Global Supply - Demand Balance - In 2026, the global lead market will show a surplus. The growth of mine production is mainly from overseas project expansion, and the growth of refined lead production shows a pattern of strong primary lead and weak recycled lead. The growth of refined lead consumption is mainly supported by Europe, the United States, and Vietnam [39]. 3.4.2 Domestic Supply - Demand Balance - In 2026, the domestic lead market will have a marginal surplus of about 30,000 tons. The consumption growth rate is expected to be 1.5%, and the supply - demand balance will be affected by the production of primary and recycled lead and net imports [39]. 3.4.3 Inventory: Differentiation between Domestic and Overseas - In 2025, the global lead visible inventory showed a significant regional mismatch, with LME inventory accumulating to a historical high and domestic social inventory remaining at a low level. In 2026, the global supply - demand surplus is expected to expand, and the high overseas inventory will suppress the LME lead price. The domestic visible inventory is difficult to accumulate substantially, and the low domestic inventory will support the SHFE lead price [40].