SMM News, July 21:
According to the latest customs statistics, China’s imports of die-cast zinc alloys reached 2,619.61 metric tons in June 2026, edging down 0.12% month-on-month (compared with 2,622.81 tons in May), a year-on-year drop of 43.38%. The total import volume for January–June stood at 15,878.56 metric tons, representing a cumulative year-on-year decline of 32.93%.
On the export side, China shipped out 1,994.54 metric tons of die-cast zinc alloys in June 2026, rising 11.46% month-on-month (from 1,789.48 tons in May) and surging 220.59% year-on-year. Cumulative exports over the first six months hit 7,082.34 metric tons, jumping 137.68% from the same period last year.
Breakdown of June import and export volumes:
Imports: Import sources are highly concentrated in Asia and Australia, with Asia accounting for over 80% of total imports
Breakdown by country and region:
South Korea: 1,036.745 tons, accounting for 39.58%, the largest source country;
Japan: 518.251 tons, 19.78%;
Australia: 370.232 tons, 14.13%;
Thailand: 280.917 tons, 10.72%;
Philippines: 100.355 tons, 3.83%;
Indonesia: 97.94 tons, 3.74%;
Hong Kong, China: 68.347 tons, 2.61%;
Belgium: 44.738 tons, 1.71%;
Taiwan, China: 42.297 tons, 1.61%;
Malaysia: 38.766 tons, 1.48%;
Remaining supplies are sourced from France (20.5 tons), Russia (0.507 tons), Italy (0.006 tons), mainland China (0.006 tons), and other regions.
Export Section: Export shipments are overwhelmingly concentrated in Asia, which accounts for over 97% of total exports
Breakdown by country and region:
Vietnam: 799.864 tons, 40.10%, the top export destination;
Taiwan, China: 612.266 tons, 30.70%;
India: 242.059 tons, 12.14%;
Thailand: 172.922 tons, 8.67%;
Bangladesh: 79.283 tons, 3.98%;
Saudi Arabia: 53.989 tons, 2.71%;
Paraguay: 23.946 tons, 1.20%;
Indonesia: 7.318 tons, 0.37%;
Small residual volumes are exported to Brazil (1.1 tons), Russia (0.918 tons), French Polynesia (0.775 tons), Spain (0.058 tons), Germany (0.032 tons), the United Kingdom (0.013 tons) and other regions.
Outlook
Exports
In July, the price spread between domestic and overseas markets maintained the pattern of "strong overseas market vs weak domestic market". With the weak Shanghai-London zinc price ratio, Chinese die-cast zinc alloys retain prominent export competitiveness. According to SMM, downstream manufacturers in Southeast Asia have steady purchasing demand for domestic die-cast zinc alloys recently, so exports are expected to stay robust in the near term.
Imports
Domestic consumption is stuck in the seasonal off-season, and the domestic-overseas price ratio is unfavorable for imports. Therefore, demand for die-cast zinc alloy imports will remain sluggish, with year-on-year import growth projected to keep declining.
