SHANGHAI, Dec 17 (SMM) – SMM forecasts that expanding domestic capacity will lower China's imports of high-carbon ferrochrome by 9% year on year to 2.4 million mt in 2018. 

As one of the raw materials to produce stainless steel, high-carbon ferrochrome’s imports grew 36.06% from September, to 256,600 mt in October, showed data from China Customs. Currently, imports account for one-third of overall supplies in China. 

From 2015, rising domestic capacity and more imports of higher-grade cargoes from India started to lower China’s imports from South Africa, customs data showed, 

SMM expects domestic imports of South Africa’s high-carbon ferrochrome to shrink to 1.09 million mt in 2018. Imports from South Africa rose from 989,300 mt in 2013 to 1.96 million mt in 2015, according to customs data.