In June, chrome ore imports reached 1.8449 million mt, with strong supply and demand, and prices fell from highs

Global chrome ore departures from major export ports totaled 479,700 mt in the week ended September 11, down 30.66% week-on-week, according to SMM's latest data. The pullback unwinds a portion of the prior week's surge, with the broad-based recovery seen across Maputo, Richards Bay, Mersin, and Beira proving short-lived. Maputo again absorbed the bulk of activity, with departures easing to 438,700 mt from 512,100 mt, a 14.33% decline that nonetheless lifted the port's share of total departures to roughly 91%, its highest level in the current data series. The port's relative resilience against a steeper market-wide contraction underscores its continued role as the primary anchor of regional chrome ore exports. Mersin departures fell more sharply, down 70.18% to 25,200 mt from 84,500 mt, while Richards Bay and Beira both reverted to zero departures after last week's rebound to 57,800 mt and 29,500 mt, respectively. The renewed halt at Richards Bay and Beira, following just one active week apiece, points to the intermittent, non-continuous nature of loadings at these secondary corridors rather than a sustained recovery in export activity. With Maputo now accounting for the near-totality of major-port volumes, the latest data reflects a reversion to the more concentrated flow pattern observed in the weeks preceding early September's broader pickup.

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As of September 11, 2026, China's total chrome ore inventory at ports rose to 5.318 million mt, up 98,600 mt (+1.89%) from 5.219 million mt on September 4. Tianjin Port, China's dominant chrome ore hub, held 4.6854 million mt, up 111,700 mt (+2.44%) week-on-week, lifting its share of the national total to 88.1% from 87.6% the prior week. Qinzhou Port, the country's key southern discharge point, held 412,200 mt, down 8,100 mt (-1.93%), while the remaining smaller ports slipped a further 5,000 mt to roughly 220,000 mt. Tianjin's build alone outpaced the national total gain, meaning the rest of the port network, led by Qinzhou, gave back roughly 13,100 mt even as the overall pool of ore grew. This divergence tracks the underlying north-south split in ferrochrome production. Tianjin feeds Inner Mongolia's smelting base, which accounts for the bulk of national output and has kept operating rates elevated even as high-carbon ferrochrome prices eased about 100 yuan/mt in August on oversupply and soft retail sales. With producers there running lean, hand-to-mouth ore purchases ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, incoming cargoes have piled up at the port rather than being drawn down quickly. Qinzhou, by contrast, serves the smaller but more responsive southern cluster across Guangxi, Sichuan and Guizhou, where producers have been drawing more actively on local stocks to feed active furnace schedules. The build at Tianjin also reflects the pipeline of South African and Zimbabwean cargoes still working through the system. South Africa alone supplied nearly 80% of China's chrome ore in H1 2026, with shipments up almost 30% YoY, while Zimbabwean supply surged 44.3% YoY over the same period. Global chrome ore departures from major export ports jumped 83.99% week-on-week to roughly 691,800 mt in the most recent week tracked, with Maputo and Richards Bay both rebounding, a signal that arrivals into China, concentrated at Tianjin, should continue at a healthy clip in the coming weeks even as southern ports draw down on stronger local consumption.