China: Manganese Ore Imports Up by 30% in CY18

In 2018, China's total Manganese Ore imports stood at 27.63 MnT. Imports in the year, increased by 6.38 MnT - which amounted to a 30% rise on a Y-o-Y basis.

China is largely dependent on a select few countries for its Manganese Ore imports. The first seven countries in the following table account for 96% of the total imports by China. South Africa accounts for 41% shares in the total imports of Manganese Ore by China. Chinese imports from South Africa inched up by 21.7% with a total quantity of 11.28 Mnt. Australia and Gabon being the second and third largest exporting countries for China, account for 18% and 9% in the total imports, having also experienced a hike of 25.7% and 23.1% respectively. The import volume of each country has increased compared with last year. Meanwhile, the imports of manganese ore from Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana have increased significantly by 82.9% and 163.3% respectively.

With new manganese alloy plants coming up in China, the demand for manganese ore increased to a significant level. Also, the implementation of the new standard of Rebar provides a big scope for Silico Manganese Alloy in the Chinese Market.

SteelMint assessed that the demand for Manganese Ore in the Chinese market in this year was relatively high compared to the previous year as the Chinese Manganese Ore imports exceeded 27 MnT which has set a new bar.

Source: China Customs
Quantity in MT