On the eve of the National Day holiday, the order divergence among domestic aluminium extrusion enterprises further widened, highlighting an industry pattern of stable head enterprises versus pressured small and medium-sized ones. Relying on long-term major client resources, new energy, and key engineering projects, top-tier large factories maintained relatively full order books, with comprehensive operating rates roughly ranging between 68 per cent and 72 per cent.
In contrast, a large number of small and medium-sized extrusion plants were struggling to survive. Reduced distributor orders and insufficient bargaining power left their operating rates mostly between 25 per cent and 45 per cent. Affected by aluminium price fluctuations, unclear market expectations, and heavy capital pressure, the willingness for proactive inventory buildup across the industry remained low. Enterprises universally adhered to a produce-to-order and purchase-to-order strategy, maintaining low raw material inventories and refusing to bear the risks of price volatility and inventory devaluation.
During the National Day period, holiday schedules for aluminium extrusion enterprises showed clear divergence. Most architectural profile factories closed for 5-7 days, some large factories with urgent orders arranged only 1-3 days of rotational leave, and a very few key industrial material suppliers closed for just 1 day or even operated on a shift basis. Overall, production-side shutdowns were significant during the holiday.
While orders could still be accepted normally, most deliveries were postponed to after the holiday for unified shipment. Sporadic market transactions gradually resumed from October 4th, but the absence of continuous market price guidance during the holiday, insufficient logistics and personnel, and strong downstream wait-and-see sentiment kept market activity low. Trading volumes were limited, primarily consisting of essential replenishment orders, with no speculative restocking or concentrated purchasing behavior observed.