SMM Analysis Of China November Unwrought Aluminium Alloy Import And Export

According to customs data, in November 2023, China’s unwrought aluminium alloy imports were 111,800 mt, up 5.6% YoY and 2.6% MoM, bringing up total imports from January to November 2023 to 1.0196 million mt, donw 14% YoY.

In November 2023, China’s unwrought aluminium alloy exports were 15,700 mt, down 17% YoY but up 1.7% MoM, bringing up total exports from January to November 2023 to 221,800 mt, up 8.3% YoY.

The top five import sources in November were the same as in October, namely Malaysia (46,700 mt), Thailand (12,800 mt), Vietnam (12,300 mt), and South Korea (7,600 mt), and Russia (5,900 mt), accounting for 41.8%, 11.4%, 11%, 6.8% and 5.2% respectively. Imports from Thailand and Vietnam increased by 2,700 mt MoM, while those from Malaysia decreased by 2,900 mt, and its import proportion also dropped from 46% to 42%. Due to booming automobile consumption in Japan, Malaysia and other countries exported more aluminium alloy ingots to Japan, and less to China.

In terms of exports, unwrought aluminium alloy exports in November were stable at 15,700 mt. Among them, exports to Japan increased to 8,400 mt, and its proportion also rose from 40% to 53%. Exports were mainly under process trade with supplied and imported materials.

The amount of aluminium alloy ingots arriving at Chinese ports in December may remain around 100,000 mt, and the annual imports will be approximately 1.12 million mt, down 12% YoY.