Who Will Have Final Say on Nickel Ore Supply in 2017 after Indonesian Ore Reappears? SMM Reports

Published: Jun 27, 2017 17:54

Save

Will Indonesia, the ever top supplier of nickel ore in the world, rule market supply again?

SHANGHAI, Jun. 27 (SMM) – China imported 263,851 tonnes of nickel ore from Indonesia in May, according to China Customs, the first appearance after Indonesia’s ore export ban in early 2014. Will Indonesia, the ever top supplier of nickel ore in the world, rule market supply again?

The answer is probably not in 2017, SMM guesses, with reasons below.

Update of Antam Nickel Ore Export Quotas

First, only two companies in Indonesia have been permitted to export nickel ore by the government so far, namely Antam and Zhenshi Group’s Fajar. Based on export quotas of approximately 3.60 million wet tonnes of the two, its proportion in China’s ore import volumes, averaging 30 million tonnes of laterite nickel ore annually, is not outstanding.

Second, it is still a buyer’s market in China’s nickel ore market, and meanwhile, offers of Indonesian ore are relatively higher, with no price advantages. Such condition also gives no bright picture of demand for Indonesian ore.

Will Indonesia Replace China as Top NPI Producer? SMM Reports

Third, Antam has its maximum monthly shipping capacity of about 4-5 ships, SMM learns, and based on this, it might be difficult for the company to finish its export quota of 2.60 million tonnes.

To sum up, SMM predicts that Philippine nickel ore will continue to dominate market supply in 2017, and the appearance of Indonesian ore will not change the supply pattern over the year.

For news cooperation, please contact us by email: sallyzhang@smm.cn or service.en@smm.cn.

nickel prices nickel ore prices china nickel ore inventories

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

Feb 28, 2026 16:11

[SMM Stainless Steel Flash] Xinfeng Special Steel’s Phase II Bright Annealing Line Successfully Produces First Coil

On February 8, the 6# line of the Phase II Bright Annealing (BA) unit at Xinfeng Special Steel’s cold continuous rolling stainless steel project successfully produced its first coil, with the 304-series material meeting qualification standards on its initial run. General contracted by WISDRI (South China) Thermal Engineering, the Phase II project utilizes a domestic-first four-stage horizontal bright annealing unit design, featuring the longest muffle and largest TV (Tension-Velocity) capacity in China. As a key component of Xinfeng’s strategy to build a green, intelligent factory, the line reached production capacity immediately upon commissioning and is currently undergoing further optimization and debugging to produce high-grade BA plates and tube-making stock.

Feb 28, 2026 16:11

[SMM Stainless Steel Flash] TISCO’s Self-Developed SUS630 Stainless Steel Plates Break Import Monopoly in PCB Sector

According to TISCO (Shanxi Taigang), its independently developed SUS630 precipitation-hardening stainless steel cold-rolled plates are now being supplied steadily to domestic Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturers. Throughout the recent holiday period, the company's R&D and production teams maintained strict quality control to ensure the material meets the rigorous standards required for 5G communications, automotive electronics, and medical devices. As a core material for the hot lamination process in PCB manufacturing, SUS630 was long dependent on foreign imports; however, TISCO has now become the only stable domestic supplier, successfully breaking the technical blockade.

Feb 28, 2026 16:11

[SMM Stainless Steel Flash] Wenzhou Yigang’s 700-ton Precision Tube Project Receives EIA Approval

The Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment officially issued and announced its approval decision regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Wenzhou Yigang Steel Co., Ltd.’s project. The approved project involves the annual processing of 700 tons of precision stainless steel tubes. This regulatory milestone clears a major legal hurdle for the facility, allowing the company to move forward with the construction and subsequent operation of its precision tube production capacity in line with regional environmental standards.

Feb 28, 2026 16:11