[SMM Analysis] Domestic Capacity Expansion Severely Squeezes China’s Ferrochrome Imports in 2025

Published: Jan 20, 2026 15:54
Source: SMM
According to statistics from China Customs, China's total imports of high-carbon ferrochrome in December 2025 reached 126,900 tons, up 0.8% month-on-month but down 51.1% year-on-year.

January 20, 2025 News:

According to statistics from China Customs, China's total imports of high-carbon ferrochrome in December 2025 reached 126,900 tons, up 0.8% month-on-month but down 51.1% year-on-year. Imports from South Africa stood at 1,100 tons, down 73.8% month-on-month and 87.6% year-on-year, while imports from Kazakhstan amounted to 90,000 tons, up 9% month-on-month and 7.52% year-on-year.

For the full year 2025, total high-carbon ferrochrome imports were 2.4457 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 33.1%. Among them, imports from South Africa totaled 956,200 tons, down 47.5% year-on-year, and imports from Kazakhstan reached 1.0318 million tons, down 16.6% year-on-year. South Africa's share of ferrochrome imports fell to 39.1%, while Kazakhstan's share rose to 42.19%, yet overall ferrochrome imports declined.

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.

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