Several manganese products exempt from fresh US tariffs

SHANGHAI, Sep 19 (SMM) – Several manganese products were removed from the list of $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that will face additional 10% US tariffs from September 24.

This compared with the list released by the Trump administration in early July, on the same amount of Chinese imports, which covered almost all manganese-related products from China, SMM learned. 

Removed products include manganese ores and concentrates (HS code 26020000), manganese waste and scrap (HS code 81110030), unwrought manganese flake with Mn≥99.5 (HS code 81110047), other unwrought manganese products (HS code 81110049), and manganese articles except for waste, scrap and unwrought (HS code 81110060). 

Few alternative suppliers of manganese, instead of China, are available as Chinese production of the metal accounts for 95% of the global output. It is therefore easy to understand why the above-mentioned products were removed from the list, SMM believes.

The fresh US tariffs are expected to have minimum impact on China’s manganese industry, given its export volumes to the US. In 2017, China exported 472,400 mt of manganese products excluding alloys and oxides. About 4.3%, or 20,500 mt, went to the US. Existing tariffs have already limited exports of manganese alloys. 

On Monday September 17, the US decided to impose a 10% tariff later this month on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and threated to further escalate tariff measures.