BEIJING — China’s output of 10 major non-ferrous metals rose 5.5 percent year on year in October, according to new data.

The rise was in contrast to a 3.3-percent drop for the same month of 2017, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement.

In the first 10 months, combined production rose 4.4 percent to 44.79 million tonnes, 1 percentage point faster than the same period last year.

Partly due to rising production costs, the sector’s profits dropped 9.6 percent year on year, to 123.4 billion yuan ($17.8 billion) from January to September.

The 10 major non-ferrous metals are copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, nickel, stannum, antimony, mercury, magnesium and titanium.

Excess production capacity is a chronic problem for some non-ferrous metals. The country has moved to control new capacity for metals struggling with overcapacity, such as electrolytic aluminum.