Refined Zinc
Covered in 5 MetalsCost.com News Intelligence articles, most recently on October 6, 2026.
Overview
Refined zinc traded as "Special High Grade," or SHG, is zinc purified to at least 99.995% — the industry's standard high-purity benchmark, achieved through electrolytic refining that strips out trace lead, iron, cadmium and copper. Most modern zinc smelters produce SHG directly via the roast-leach-electrowin electrolytic process; older pyrometallurgical smelting routes yield only about 98.5% purity and need a further electrolytic step to reach SHG grade.
Who Consumes It
Galvanizers are the dominant buyer, coating steel sheet, wire, pipe and fabricated structures with zinc to prevent corrosion — the single largest end use for the metal worldwide. The remainder goes into zinc die-casting alloys for automotive and hardware components, brass production (alloyed with copper), and zinc oxide manufacturing for rubber, ceramics and chemical uses.
Sources
- SHG zinc purity standard, 99.995% — Special High Grade Zinc (SHG) 99.995% (2024)
Coverage
China Is Exporting Zinc Again as a Squeeze on the London Metal Exchange Drags On
China exported 40,668 tonnes of refined zinc in August, its second-highest monthly total in almost 20 years, as tight supply on the London Metal Exchange made overseas sales profitable. Most of it went straight into LME warehouses in Asia.
Hindustan Zinc Posts Record Q2 Output as Its Silver Production Jumps 20%
Hindustan Zinc made a record 264,000 tonnes of refined metal in the July-September quarter, up 7% from a year earlier, as new capacity at its smelters came on stream. Its silver output jumped 20% to 173 tonnes.
MBK and Young Poong Demand Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Quit, Weeks After Losing a Board Vote
MBK Partners and Young Poong have called on Korea Zinc chairman Choi Yun-beom to step down, reopening a two-year fight for control of the world's largest zinc smelter. The demand follows their defeat in a board vote on September 9.
Nexa Resources Shares Trade Below Boliden's $15.29 Takeover Price as Analysts Argue the Zinc Miner Is Worth More
Boliden's $15.29-a-share deal for Votorantim's Nexa Resources stake met investor skepticism, and a subsequent smelter recovery and earnings beat now fuel arguments that the zinc miner is worth more than the fixed offer.
Zinc's Six-Day Rally Stalls as London Metal Exchange Inventories Hit a Three-Week High
Zinc's six-day rally on the London Metal Exchange paused as inventories climbed to a three-week high of 97,875 tonnes, though the cash premium over three-month metal stayed near its richest since December.
