China’s prebaked anode exports grew 8% in April’22, with a lion share sent to Malaysia

The General Administration of Customs found China’s total exports of prebaked anode reached 185,500 tonnes in April 2022, which were 8.22 per cent higher month-on-month and 63.86 per cent year-on-year. Export value amounted to US$192 million, with a unit price of $1,035.81 per tonne.

China exported its lion share of prebaked anode to Malaysia in April 2022, a volume of 48,700 tonnes which accounted for 26 per cent of the country’s total export volume. The value of the export to Malaysia stood at almost US$42 million, with a unit price at US$855.24 per tonne.

Norway was the second leading destination for China’s prebaked anode exports, securing 33,600 tonnes. That accounted for 18 per cent of China’s total exports, with a value of US$36.5 million and a unit price of US$1,087.18 per tonne.

Since the beginning of 2022, the monthly export volume of China’s prebaked anode has been generally higher than the same period last year, attributing to robust demand for China’s prebaked anode in Bahrain, India, Iceland and other countries/regions.

However, in the future, overseas demand is likely to drop significantly as domestic prebaked anode prices are estimated to reach new highs with the production costs going up. The mainstream export prices in May have risen above US$1,500 per tonne. So, SMM believes the export volume in May will be subject to export prices. If the price is too high, the export volume will fall.