Chinese demand for bauxite is restructuring the dry bulk market, with imports of bauxite hitting record levels in 2025. Between January and August, port discharges of bauxite in China reached 145.2 million tonnes, up 26 per cent year-on-year, according to AXSMarine. This marks an increase of 30 million tonnes compared with 2024, the strongest start ever for the trade.
Guinea dominates supply, shipping 137.5 million tonnes and accounting for 77 per cent of China’s intake. Australia followed with 30.5 million tonnes, or 17 per cent, while Guyana, Turkey, Sierra Leone, and other exporters added smaller volumes. The long-haul nature of Guinean cargoes has boosted tonne-mile demand, with bauxite’s share of global dry bulk tonne miles rising from just 2 per cent in 2015 to 8.5 per cent this year.
In July, China’s bauxite imports surged 34.2 per cent to 20.06 m tonnes, according to customs data. Cumulative inflows for January to July stood at 123.26 m tonnes, up 33.7 per cent year on year, reinforcing supply security for its smelting base.
Interestingly, alumina exports reached 230,000 tonnes in July, up 56.4 per cent from a year earlier. Cumulative shipments to July hit 1.57m tonnes, a 64.3 per cent rise. These flows suggest China is not just consuming ore but also shaping global alumina trade routes.
Also read: Shanxi transfers $3.5B bauxite mine rights, bolstering aluminium chain
A defining growth story for bulk carriers
“This expansion has been one of the most notable cargo growth stories for the dry bulk sector, underpinned by China’s vast aluminium smelting capacity and heavy reliance on imported bauxite,” analysts at Ursa said. China’s imports have nearly tripled in a decade, from 57.2m tonnes in 2015 to 170.8m tonnes in 2024.
The momentum is fuelling capesize employment, giving bauxite a strategic role once reserved mainly for iron ore and coal. Analysts suggest the trend could accelerate if Guinea expands port infrastructure and rail networks, making shipments even more efficient. Read more on AlCircle.
Aluminium output scales new highs
On the production front, Chinese smelters delivered 3.8 million tonnes of primary aluminium in August, equal to record monthly levels seen in May and July. Output for January to August totalled 29.4 million tonnes, up 2.3 per cent year-on-year. The International Aluminium Institute estimates China produced 43.4 million tonnes in 2024, fifteen times higher than in 2000, reflecting the nation’s industrial transformation.
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