China's Iron Ore Imports Increased In May But To Fall In June

Published: Jun 13, 2023 15:01

Source: SMM

Save

Iron ore and concentrate imports totalled 96.18 million mt in May 2023, a month-on-month growth of 5.73 million mt or 6.3%. YTD imports through May stood at 4.81 trillion mt, a year-on-year growth of 7.7%. The increase in iron ore imports in May was mainly due to the weakening of seasonal disruptions and the gradual recovery of overseas shipments.

The main increase still came from mainstream mines in Australia and Brazil. Shipments from non-mainstream mines in India, South Africa, and Iran shrank due to price factors.

SMM estimated that 12 blast furnaces would resume production in June, and 7 would be overhauled; the output of pig iron is expected to increase by about 700,000 mt compared with May.

However, considering that the working days in June is one day less and the seasonal factors, SMM expects that the import volume of iron ore in June may decline slightly.

More popular news:

SMM Daily Comments (Jun 5): Base Metals Mostly Fell, Ferrous Metals Bucked the Trend to Surge, Oil Gained Further on Saudi Arabia Output Cuts in July

SMM Daily Comments (Jun 7): Base Metals Mostly Rose, Ferrous Metals Dropped, Oil down as Russia Dumps Cheap Oil

Global Manufacturing PMI Continued To Fall In May, Points To Downturn In Global Economy

SMM Indonesia Nickel and Cobalt Industry Chain Conference: Global Nickel & Cobalt Supply and Demand Prospect, Impact from NEV Development

Indonesia Will Launch Nickel Price Index Applied for Domestic Policies and Deter Export Duties on Nickel Products

Chilean Tax Hike Will Deter Copper and Lithium Mine Investment, Push Japanese Mining Companies to Other 24 Countries

Glencore to Aggressively Expand Copper Capacity

World Bank Raises Forecast for Global Economic Growth in 2023 with Significant Increase for China, Emphasises Dangers of A High-Interest Rate Environment, But Lowers Forecast for 2024

Commerzbank Lowers Price Forecast for Copper, Aluminium, Zinc and Nickel for 2023 and 2024

Rumours Say Glencore Will Raise Takeover Bid for Teck Resources, but Another Big Obstacle Lies Ahead

Commodity Price Bubble Finally Burst, but Metals Demand Will Surge

Market forecast Market review Import/Export

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

1 hour ago

[SMM Iron & Steel] US Iron and Steel Scrap Exports Fall 19.5% to 1.006M Tons

According to the United States International Trade Commission, US iron and steel scrap exports experienced a 19.5 percent month-on-month decrease in December 2025, totaling 1.006 million metric tons, with Turkey remaining the largest recipient at 431,773 metric tons.

1 hour ago

[SMM Iron & Steel] Germany Increases Steel Production by 15% in January

German steel enterprises successfully increased their steel production by 15 percent year-on-year in January 2026, reaching a total of 3.08 million tons, with oxygen converters producing 2.21 million tons and electric arc furnaces contributing 870,000 tons.

1 hour ago

[SMM Iron & Steel] Rio Tinto Approves $473 Million Zulti South Project in South Africa

On March 3, 2026, Rio Tinto announced the lifting of the suspension on the Zulti South project at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM). The $473 million investment aims to sustain RBM's production capacity and extend the mine's life to 2050. Construction is scheduled to begin in Q1 2026, with initial commercial production expected by Q4 2028

1 hour ago