From Guangzhou to Shenzhen, investment silver bars are in high demand, forcing many factories to extend their working hours.

According to Global Times, as precious metal prices continue to rise, with gold and silver prices repeatedly reaching record highs in China, many factories in the country are working overtime to produce investment-grade products to meet the surging demand. Experts believe the surge in consumption has far outpaced the demand for traditional jewelry.

The most notable development is the sharp rise in silver prices, attracting strong investor interest and causing related products to become scarce. At a Hengtai store, a precious metals trading company, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, southern China, a salesperson said many customers came to the store looking to buy investment products, often 1-kilogram silver bars.

Meanwhile, at a silver product factory in Shenzhen, workers have been working overtime for months on end to produce investment-grade silver bars. The factory manager said that the factory previously focused mainly on silver jewelry, but demand for investment-grade silver bars has surged in recent months while demand for jewelry has plummeted, leading to a shift in production.

According to China Central Television (CMG), what was once a side business has now become the factory's main business. To meet new demands, the factory has added equipment such as hydraulic presses and rolling mills to expand its production capacity.

Sun Tao, the general manager of a silver processing plant, said that in the fourth quarter of last year, production mainly focused on 1-kilogram silver ingots, along with some 500-gram products and unprocessed items. Since the beginning of this year, demand has shifted noticeably towards smaller ingots weighing 100 grams or 200 grams, driven by improvements in production techniques and greater product diversification.

Since April 2025, both silver and gold prices have been pushed to record highs amid global volatility. As precious metal prices continue to reach record highs, copper, previously largely overlooked, is also being marketed as an investment product. At some jewelry trading centers in China, traders have released 1kg copper bars onto the market, quickly fueling a surge in so-called “investment copper bars,” even as industry experts warn of the risks associated with this trend.

According to CMG, unlike well-established gold and silver buyback systems, most current suppliers of investment copper bars in China state that they only sell and do not buy back these products, while some only offer consignment services. Therefore, individual investors buying copper bars may face significant difficulties in liquidating their holdings.

Gold and silver are considered global “hard currencies,” offering a certain store of value, with gold in particular remaining relatively stable in the medium and long term. However, price volatility tends to increase with high valuations and highly concentrated capital flows, according to Zhang Yi, CEO and analyst at consulting firm iiMedia Research. In contrast, copper and other non-precious metals primarily serve as industrial raw materials, their prices more strongly influenced by industrial cycles and demand conditions, making them significantly weaker investment characteristics compared to gold and silver. The expert warns that copper bars or related products marketed as investment items often lack the fundamental investment logic of gold or silver, as they are susceptible to oxidation, have higher storage costs, and limited value stability, exposing investors to significant premium risks.

Zhang Yi emphasized that consumers should be wary of excessive marketing and speculative narratives that inflate the “investment value” of non-gold and non-silver metals during periods of rising prices. He stressed the need for a clear distinction between industrial and financial attributes, and stronger market guidance and regulation to protect consumers and mitigate the risks of herd mentality investment during sudden surges in demand.

Source: VTV

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