Domestic orders in April dragged down the export market; acid enterprises may restructure in May

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China exported a total of 264,500 mt of sulphuric acid in April 2025, up 383.05% YoY and down 18.62% MoM. As of April this year, China's total sulphuric acid exports reached 1.3179 million mt, with a cumulative YoY growth rate of 78.12%.

Looking at the top 10 countries in China's sulphuric acid export rankings in April, Chile remained the primary destination for China's sulphuric acid exports, accounting for 53.16% of the total volume exported in April. In addition to Chile, which consistently ranked first, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines were also major export destinations for China's sulphuric acid. Specifically, the volume of sulphuric acid exported to Chile and Indonesia in April decreased by 7.05% and 18.01% MoM, respectively, while the volume exported to India and the Philippines increased by 102.33% and 145.2% MoM, respectively.

According to SMM, in April, China was in the spring ploughing season, and downstream industries such as fertilizer were in the traditional peak demand season. With sufficient domestic demand, the domestic sulphuric acid price gradually increased, which affected the exports in April. After entering May, the peak demand season in the domestic market ended, and the domestic sulphuric acid price gradually pulled back. SMM expects that this will re-stimulate smelting acid enterprises to re-layout the export market.