20260920
Data shows that China's aluminum wire exports totaled 77,300 mt in August 2026, down 24.77% MoM but up 246.4% YoY. From January to August 2026, China's aluminum wire exports totaled 463,600 mt, up 164.7 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Among these, exports of other non-insulated aluminum stranded wire, cables, braids and similar products totaled 61,200 mt, down 27.61% MoM, accounting for 79.18% of total exports; exports of non-insulated steel-cored aluminum stranded wire, cables, braids and similar products totaled 16,100 mt, down 11.58% MoM, accounting for 20.82% of total exports.
Pure Aluminum Stranded Wire Exports
Pure aluminum stranded wire exports in August were 61,241 mt, down 27.6 percentage points MoM, a decrease of 23,357 mt from 84,598 mt in July, and up 729.0% YoY. The share of pure aluminum stranded wire in total exports pulled back to 79.2% from 82.3% in July, marking the second consecutive monthly decline. Since the price spread between Chinese and overseas markets opened in May, the share of pure aluminum has remained above 78%, and the backlog of orders locked in during the export profit window has not yet been fully cleared.
According to August customs data, pure aluminum stranded wire was exported to 76 countries and regions. The top 15 destinations accounted for 57,914 mt, or 94.6% of total pure aluminum exports. Compared with July, the Top 15 landscape showed a pattern of "stable leaders, diverging mid-tier": South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam together accounted for 33,304 mt, actually edging up 3.1% from 32,300 mt in July, making them the most stable base in August; meanwhile, high-base markets from July such as Malaysia, Thailand, Montenegro, and Hong Kong, China saw halving-style pullbacks.
Steel-Cored Aluminum Stranded Wire Exports
Steel-cored aluminum stranded wire exports in August were 16,100 mt, down 11.6 percentage points MoM, a decrease of 2,108 mt from 18,208 mt in July, and up only 7.8% YoY, notably lower than the growth rate before Q2. The share of steel-cored aluminum stranded wire in total exports rebounded to 20.8% from 17.7% in July, returning above 20% and reaching the highest level in nearly three months.
In August, steel-cored aluminum stranded wire was exported to 65 countries and regions, with export concentration notably lower than in July: the top 10 countries accounted for 11,047 mt, or 68.6% of total exports (76.4% in July). Egypt jumped to first place with 1,956 mt (12.2% share), surging 184.6% MoM; Saudi Arabia remained in second place but fell 60.0% MoM, as the concentrated delivery peak for Middle East power grid projects has passed. Germany, the Netherlands, Vietnam, and Mongolia newly entered the top 10, indicating that destinations for steel-cored exports are rapidly diversifying.
SMM Outlook:
Overall, the pullback in aluminum wire exports in August confirmed the latter half of this price spread-driven export cycle, with exports showing a stepwise pullback pattern but still remaining above the same period last year. On one hand, previously backlogged export orders continued to be released; on the other hand, domestic manufacturers kept taking new orders through agents. Based on the cumulative 463,600 mt from January to August, total aluminum wire exports for 2026 are expected to exceed 600,000 mt. Going forward, close attention should be paid to: first, whether the price spread between Chinese and overseas markets widens again after mid-September, to determine whether there will be phased export orders in Q4; second, whether project deliveries of aluminum conductor steel-reinforced cables in Europe and North Africa can form consecutive monthly orders, which will be key to whether exports can stay high in 2027.
