Ferro-Alloys Prices in China

China Ferro-Alloys Import Price in September 2022

In September 2022, the ferro-alloys price amounted to $2,055 per ton (CIF, China), which is down by -9.2% against the previous month. Over the period under review, the import price showed a noticeable slump. The growth pace was the most rapid in May 2022 when the average import price increased by 6.6% month-to-month. The import price peaked at $2,879 per ton in June 2022; however, from July 2022 to September 2022, import prices remained at a lower figure.

Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin: the country with the highest price was New Caledonia ($4,132 per ton), while the price for South Africa ($1,132 per ton) was amongst the lowest.

From January 2022 to September 2022, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Indonesia (-1.7%), while the prices for the other major suppliers experienced a decline.

China Ferro-Alloys Import Prices by Type

There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major supplied products. In September 2022, the product with the highest price was ferro-molybdenum ($24.1 per kg), while the price for ferro-silicon ($915 per ton) was amongst the lowest.

From January 2022 to September 2022, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by ferro-titanium and ferro-silico-titanium (+16.0%), while the prices for the other products experienced mixed trend patterns.

China Ferro-Alloys Imports

Ferro-alloys imports into China was estimated at 889K tons in September 2022, surging by 1.9% compared with the previous month's figure. In general, total imports indicated a strong expansion from January 2022 to September 2022: its volume increased at an average monthly rate of +5.3% over the last eight-month period. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on September 2022 figures, imports increased by +53.5% against June 2022 indices. The growth pace was the most rapid in March 2022 with an increase of 34% against the previous month. Over the period under review, imports reached the maximum in September 2022.

In value terms, ferro-alloys imports fell to $1.8B (IndexBox estimates) in September 2022. The total import value increased at an average monthly rate of +2.5% from January 2022 to September 2022; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in March 2022 with an increase of 40% month-to-month. Over the period under review, imports attained the maximum at 2M tons in August 2022, and then declined in the following month.

China Ferro-Alloys Imports by Type

In September 2022, miscellaneous ferro-alloys (650K tons) constituted the largest type of ferro-alloys supplied to China, accounting for a 73% share of total imports. Moreover, miscellaneous ferro-alloys exceeded the figures recorded for the second-largest type, ferro-chromium (233K tons), threefold. Ferro-silicon (5.3K tons) ranked third in terms of total imports with a 0.6% share.

From January 2022 to September 2022, the average monthly rate of growth in terms of the volume of import of miscellaneous ferro-alloys stood at +6.3%. With regard to the other supplied products, the following average monthly rates of growth were recorded: ferro-chromium (+2.8% per month) and ferro-silicon (+12.0% per month).

In value terms, miscellaneous ferro-alloys ($1.5B) constituted the largest type of ferro-alloys supplied to China, comprising 84% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was held by ferro-chromium ($282M), with a 15% share of total imports. It was followed by ferro-molybdenum, with a 0.6% share.

China Ferro-Alloys Imports by Country

In September 2022, Indonesia (607K tons) constituted the largest supplier of ferro-alloys to China, with a 68% share of total imports. Moreover, ferro-alloys imports from Indonesia exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest supplier, South Africa (154K tons), fourfold. Kazakhstan (32K tons) ranked third in terms of total imports with a 3.6% share.

From January 2022 to September 2022, the average monthly growth rate of volume from Indonesia amounted to +7.6%. The remaining supplying countries recorded the following average monthly rates of imports growth: South Africa (+12.2% per month) and Kazakhstan (+7.0% per month).

In value terms, Indonesia ($1.3B) constituted the largest supplier of ferro-alloys to China, comprising 70% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was held by South Africa ($175M), with a 9.6% share of total imports. It was followed by New Caledonia, with a 3.3% share.

From January 2022 to September 2022, the average monthly growth rate of value from Indonesia amounted to +5.8%. The remaining supplying countries recorded the following average monthly rates of imports growth: South Africa (+9.0% per month) and New Caledonia (-3.8% per month).

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform