
China Customs data estimates aluminium extrusion, bar, and rod (under five HS codes) exports by China likely to rebound in March after a sharp drop last month.

In February, China’s exports of aluminium extrusion, bar, and rod had reduced to 42,500 tonnes, down 63.81 per cent from the previous month and 25.6 per cent from the same period last year.
Shanghai Metals Market believed stronger yuan, holidays, and tariffs concerns were some of the factors that led to the decline in exports.
According to SMM, Chinese New Year breaks also took a toll on exports for February, as productions at most aluminium extrusion manufacturers were closed until the middle of the last month. Some producers even did not recover until the end of February. As a result, operating rates lowered, which could also be a reason for the decline in exports.
In January, surveyed manufacturers were found operating at 49.02%, down 5.67 percentage points from December. Operating rates across large manufacturers were 4.42 percentage points lower from December while that across medium-sized manufacturers were down by over 10 percentage points.
SMM had even estimated that aluminium extrusion manufacturers’ operating rates would extend a decline in February, backed on CNY closures and a bearish outlook on downstream orders.
Domestic exporters had rushed to deliver cargoes abroad in January ahead of potential US-China tariffs, which also accounted for lower exports in February.
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