China’s bauxite imports grow 9% M-o-M to 8.98 million tonnes, with Guinea the top supplier

China’s bauxite imports in October 2022 amounted to 8.98 million tonnes, reflecting a month-on-month rise of 9.27 per cent but a year-on-year downfall of 5.87 per cent, found the General Administration of Customs. Guinea, being the top exporter, provided 4.41 million tonnes, up both M-o-M and Y-o-Y by 6.38 per cent and 1.84 per cent, respectively.

From Australia, China imported 3.31 million tonnes of bauxite in October – 22.3 per cent more than the previous month and 15.25 per cent higher than a year ago. Import from Indonesia also edged a 20.88 per cent hike on a M-o-M basis to stand at 1.06 million tonnes but registered a plunge of 51.45 per cent on the year. Montenegro, Jamaica, Ghana, Malaysia and India emerged as the new bauxite suppliers to China in October’22.

China’s bauxite imports from Guinea are foreseen to grow, backed by higher output and shipments due to improved weather conditions in the country. Bauxite imports from Australia grew in October amid the growing demand from the Chinese alumina refineries, given higher cost efficiency than cargoes from Guinea and Indonesia.

Imports gain from Indonesia was mainly for the delivery of long-term orders signed earlier.

Bauxite from Montenegro, a new supplier, has a proportion of high aluminium and low silicon content, similar as those of domestic bauxite that can directly be used in high-temperature Bayer process production lines. The ore also has low moisture content, which is especially suitable for alumina refineries in north China.

Bauxite from Jamaica has low silicon content and high stability, with aluminium/silicon ratio of 30. It contains a certain amount of boehmite, which can directly be blended with other bauxite and used in high-temperature production lines. Bauxite from India is mostly gibbsite, which is basically in the form of lump, and the uneven grinding will affect the settling performance.