UPDATE 1-China August copper, lead, zinc output at record

* China August refined copper output up 8.7 pct on month

* Lead output up 5.6 pct on month despite smelter closures

* Aluminium output up 5 pct on July, but down 2.3 pct on year

SHANGHAI, Sept 11 - China's production of refined copper hit a monthly record of 364,900 tonnes in August, up 8.7 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday.

"Copper smelters were encouraged by high prices, but the high output in August is likely to weigh on the market in the future months," said Li Rong, an analyst at Great Wall Futures.

Wang Zheng at Everbright Futures said copper smelters were running at maximum rates with strong support from prices.

"The record high production does not necessarily mean a booming economy in China, but a result of facility expansion in China in the past couples of years," Wang said.

Output of lead and zinc also leapt to new record monthly highs. China produced 1.122 million tonnes of primary aluminium, up 5 percent on month, but still 2.3 percent off last August's high, the data showed.

Lead production was neck-and-neck with copper at 364,800 tonnes, up 5.6 percent on July, despite a spate of environmental investigations into poisoning cases which have prompted smelter shutdowns. China's refined lead surplus is expected to grow this year and widen further in 2010.

"Lead production still rose, because the crackdown won't take effect this soon. And just how effective it would be is unknown. Production totally depends on prices. High LME lead prices will definitely spur production," said Li Rong, an analyst at Great Wall Futures.

The cutback in China's lead production has pushed lead prices on the London Metal Exchange up 50 percent from mid-July to as high as $2,511 a tonne, before easing to around $2,100.

Zinc output rose 10 percent to 415,000 tonnes. The country's zinc smelters might be spared in the crackdown, smelter officials, traders and analysts said.

For a table of China's metals production in August, please click on