China pig iron buying spree extends into 2020

: Metals
20/05/29

Chinese demand for seaborne basic pig iron (BPI) increased sharply in the first quarter, continuing a trend from late 2019 of supporting the market when primary buyer US is on the sidelines.

China imported 755,522 metric tons (t) of pig iron in the first quarter of 2020, up from 89,974t a year earlier, according to Chinese custom's data.

Up until late 2019 the world's largest steel producing nation has not been an active pig iron buyer in seaborne markets, given the over-90pc domestic reliance on blast furnace operations. China produced roughly 790mn t of crude steel in 2019 through blast furnaces (BF), which consume iron ore as a raw material, compared with 81mn t through electric-arc furnaces (EAF), which require scrap and pig iron, according to data from the World Steel Association.

Still, China leapfrogged four nations to become the second largest buyer of pig iron in the first quarter, supporting demand as US mills bought selectively.

Market participants were split on both the trajectory and cause for the rise in demand.

Some sources initially pegged sintering restrictions for the climb in fourth quarter 2019 and first quarter 2020 volumes. Chinese imports of pig iron increased to 696,438t from 56,370t in the fourth quarter from the same period in 2018. The restrictions are designed to curb emissions in winter months and force BF-based mills to buy more scrap, iron ore pellet and pig iron, the latter two even from abroad.

But despite Covid-19 slowdowns and restrictions, Chinese domestic pig iron production rose by 2.5pc to 199mn t in the first quarter, according to Chinese National Bureau of Statistics data.

Yet others highlight the high relative domestic cost of scrap. Argus assessed Chinese #3 heavy melt scrap at an average of $381/t in the first quarter, holding only a $5/t discount to pig iron. Pig iron typically trades at a wider premium to scrap, averaging a $50/t premium compared with prime grade, #1 busheling in the US over the same period.

Lower freight rates have made Chinese bids more competitive. Market participants pegged freight rates for cargoes from Black Sea ports to China as low as $27/t in recent weeks, down from $45/t in early October.

Wide domestic premiums have certainly played some role in buying. Argus assessed domestic pig iron Tangshan prices at $380-$394/t on 29 May, as much as a $72/t premium, not accounting for value-added taxes, on a recent 60,000t cargo sold from Ukraine.

Although the direct cause of the jump may yet be unclear, the demand for Brazilian and Ukrainian pig iron from China has forced US buyers to be more cognizant of price, availability and delivery windows. Most Brazilian producers extended in the latest week delivery windows for late August and September, driven in large part by roughly 200,000t of Chinese bound cargoes already bought.

US BPI imports edged up by 2pc to just under 1.4mn t in the first quarter, according to US Department of Commerce statistics. Still, US steel production fell by 3pc to 25mn t for the year through 4 April, according to American Iron and Steel Institute data.

By Zach Schumacher

Quarterly pig iron imports ’000t

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

25/04/24

Australia’s Labor outlines $720mn critical mineral plan

Sydney, 24 April (Argus) — Australia's governing Labor party has outlined its plan for a A$1.2bn ($720mn) critical mineral reserve from 2026, including offtake agreements to support project developments struggling to reach financial close, if it retains power in next month's election. Labor's reserve plan only covers some of the 31 minerals listed on Australia's critical minerals list . The party stressed the importance of rare earths in its statement issued on 24 April but declined to specify which minerals will be included. Labor will only be able to implement the plan if it is re-elected on 3 May . It is currently leading most parliamentary election polls. The plan includes a limited mineral stockpile, as well as offtake agreements that could underpin the development of projects struggling to secure funds. There were 25 projects at advanced feasibility stage but not yet at financial close as of 31 October 2024, according to Office of the Chief Economist. Of these, 19 were rare earths, graphite, mineral sands, nickel-cobalt or vanadium projects, which would benefit from government offtakes (see table) . The plan also involves the Australian government selling reserves to Australian businesses and some international partners, as nations look to diversify supply from China. Labor intends to set up the critical mineral reserve in 2026. The strategic reserve will mean the government has the power to purchase, own and sell critical minerals found in Australia, said the country's prime minister and Labor party leader Anthony Albanese. Albanese pledged to create the reserve on 4 April in response to US president Donald Trump's "liberation day" tariff announcement. Australia's federal government has supported critical mineral projects through grants and loans over the last three years. It also created a critical mineral tax credit in early 2025, covering 10pc of mineral processing and refining costs from 2027-28. State governments are also supporting Australia's critical mineral producers. Western Australia's (WA) government created a A$150mn lithium support package in late 2024, offering producers interest-free loans and fee waivers. Multiple companies have applied for interest-free loans since then, the state's mining minister told Argus on 1 April. By Avinash Govind Critical mineral projects (Advanced feasibility stage) Mineral No. of projects Rare Earths 6 Graphite 4 Titanium and mineral sands 3 Nickel-cobalt 3 Vanadium 3 Other 6 Source: Office of the Chief Economist Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Indonesia stands committed to Ni controls: Ni Indonesia

25/04/23

Indonesia stands committed to Ni controls: Ni Indonesia

London, 23 April (Argus) — Indonesia remains committed to controlling nickel exports as well as increasing downstream value, the country's environment minister told delegates at the first Argus Nickel Indonesia conference today. Cecep Mochammad Yasin, director of mineral business development at the energy and mineral resources ministry, said the rapid growth of Indonesian nickel output made it necessary to adjust royalty rates and maintain output controls to preserve "invaluable nickel reserves" and stabilise prices on the international market. The Indonesian government in March adopted Regulation 19 of 2025, increasing royalty rates for nickel ore to 14-19pc, up from a previous flat rate of 10pc, while Ferronickel and NPI royalty rates were introduced at 5-7pc and nickel matte at 3.5-5.5pc. The new rates will take effect from the end of April. "This is a critical step towards ensuring that our natural resources give optimum benefits to all Indonesians by gradually increasing royalty rates," Cecep said. Preserving Indonesia's mineral wealth Cecep emphasised his country's commitment to preserving nickel reserves, saying Indonesia needed to maintain production controls to increase the longevity of critical minerals. "We have a responsibility to manage this resource to ensure availability for future generations," he said. "Massive exploitation of natural resources without regard for conservation will result in resource depletion. We must learn from other countries' experiences to make sure our nickel reserves are not depleted too quickly." Indonesia earlier this year set a production quota for nickel ore in 2025 at around 200mn t, a reduction from 2024's estimated production of 215mn t. The government had previously approved 240mn t of production out to 2026, but a reduction was made in January owing to a nickel supply glut in the international market. Since then, nickel prices have continued to fall, reaching their lowest since early 2020 at $14,000-14,030/t on the London Metal Exchange (LME) on 9 April after US tariffs were announced. Prices have since bounced back to about $15,000/t on continued trade negotiations between the US and other economic partners. The minister also hinted at working with other nickel producing countries "to create a shared understanding of global production management", which he said would be a "key step" towards international price stability. Government officials warned delegates that over the coming years, the quality of nickel grades will decline, as some of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked. "Resource quality will gradually decline," Indonesia's National Economic Council executive director Tubugas Nugraha said. "Over the next 2-3 years this trend will be balanced by increased production, but in the longer term the nickel content, especially in our NPI products will face structural challenges." Increasing downstream ambitions Indonesia has ambitions to add further value downstream in the supply chain, including in stainless steel and battery production, delegates heard. "By promoting the growth of domestic nickel processing and refining industries, we can increase added value and reduce reliance on exports," Tabagus told delegates. "Downstreaming can also absorb part of the supply and produce consistent demand." Tubagus added that downstreaming is part of Indonesia's 2045 plan for economic development, moving from extracting raw ore to producing value-added materials. He added that the country's ambition was to become a "global hub" for stainless steel, battery raw materials and electric vehicle (EV) components. Under the Indonesia Emas 2045 plan, the country plans to invest over $600bn into commodity linked industries in the coming decades, in order to escape what Indonesian national development planning ministry energy resources director Nizhar Marizi called its own "middle-income trap". Tax revenues will be key to this plan, as a report by the World Bank in December 2024 highlighted, saying Indonesia would need "structural reforms" to increase tax receipts and fund its ambitions. By Thomas Kavanagh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

South Korea's LGES exits Indonesia's $8.4bn EV project

25/04/22

South Korea's LGES exits Indonesia's $8.4bn EV project

Singapore, 22 April (Argus) — Top South Korean battery firm LG Energy Solution (LGES) has pulled out of Indonesia's Grand Package project, which is supposed to be an integrated electric vehicle (EV) battery project worth 142 trillion Indonesia rupiah ($8.4bn). "Taking into account various factors, including market conditions and investment environment, we have agreed to formally withdraw from the Indonesia [Grand Package] GP project," LGES told Argus on 22 April. The mega project was in the making since 2019. It involves an LG consortium that consists of multiple South Korean firms including LGES, LG Chem, LX International and Posco Future M, major Chinese cobalt refiner and nickel-cobalt-manganese precursor producer Huayou, Indonesian state-controlled mining firm Aneka Tambang (Antam) as well as consortium Indonesia Battery. Original plans included building a $1.1bn battery cell plant and were supposed to be followed by a smelter, precursor and cathode plant as well as "mining cooperation" with Antam. "However, we will continue to explore various avenues of collaboration with the Indonesian government, centering on the Indonesia battery joint venture, HLI Green Power," the firm added. The HLI Green Power is LGES' 10 GWh/yr Indonesian battery production joint venture with South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Motor, which started mass production last April. LGES earlier this year also invested in Chinese battery cathode maker Lopal Tech's lithium iron phosphate plant in Indonesia . LGES last year said it plans to reduce its dependence on the EV battery business and has signed multiple energy storage system battery supply deals so far this year, including with Taiwanese electronics manufacturing firm Delta Electronics and Polish state-controlled utility PGE . By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

India imposes 12pc safeguard duty on flat steel imports

25/04/22

India imposes 12pc safeguard duty on flat steel imports

Mumbai, 22 April (Argus) — The Indian government has imposed a 12pc provisional duty on certain flat steel imports for 200 days to shield the domestic steel industry. The duty, applicable from 21 April, was implemented following a recommendation by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies in March. It covers products under HS codes 7208, 7209, 7210, 7211, 7212, 7225 and 7226, the ministry of finance said in a notification. As recommended by the DGTR, the duty is only applicable if the import price is below a certain threshold, which is different for each product. For hot-rolled coils (HRC), the safeguard duty will not be applicable if the product is imported at or above $675/t cif, while the threshold is set at $824/t cif for cold-rolled coils. Domestic Indian steelmakers in 2024 sought protection from lower-priced imports from China and other Asian suppliers, which pushed local HRC prices to multi-year lows last year. The DGTR subsequently launched a safeguard investigation in December 2024. HRC prices rebounded last month, partly because of rumors and speculation around potential safeguard measures, and received a further boost following the duty proposal on 18 March. The Argus weekly Indian domestic HRC assessment for 2.5-4mm material reached over an eight-month high of 52,100 rupees/t ($612/t) ex-Mumbai, excluding goods and services tax, on 4 April, increasing by 9pc compared to the end of February. Sentiment shifted over the last few weeks because of escalating US-China trade tensions, with the assessment falling to Rs51,000/t on 17 April as restocking interest cooled. Surging imports pose a threat to the domestic industry and there is a need to implement provisional safeguard measures immediately, the DGTR said in its recommendations. India remained a net importer of finished steel in the April 2024-March 2025 fiscal year, with inflows increasing by 15pc on the year to 9.5mn t, according to ministry data. China has been a major supplier, owing to its weak domestic market, while imports from countries which India has a free-trade agreement with — such as South Korea and Japan — have also risen. South Korea was the top supplier to India during April 2024-February 2025, and accounted for 30pc of its total finished steel imports. Among developing countries, only China and Vietnam will be subject to safeguard duties. "Unchecked imports — especially from countries with significant excess capacity — threaten domestic manufacturing, employment, and future investments," said Indian producer Tata Steel's chief executive T.V. Narendran. "This decision will help restore fair competition, ensure the industry's long-term sustainability, and support India's vision of a self-reliant and globally competitive steel sector," Narendran added. The trade market reaction to the safeguard duty implementation was mixed, with some saying mills could take a cautious approach as buyers have been resisting latest price hikes, while others said steelmakers were likely to hike prices immediately. Indian steel mills increased prices by about Rs4,000/t following rumors around safeguards and the duty proposal, and now a further uptrend in prices is expected, an international steel trader said. A local steel distributor said steel mills would definitely raise prices, but in May instead of this month. By Amruta Khandekar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Alcoa expects to incur $90mn 2Q hit from tariffs

25/04/21

Alcoa expects to incur $90mn 2Q hit from tariffs

Houston, 21 April (Argus) — US-based integrated aluminum producer Alcoa anticipates $90mn in tariff-related costs associated with importing primary aluminum from Canada during the second quarter. For the full year, the Pennsylvania-based company foresees that figure rising to between $400mn-425mn, as 70pc of its production from Canada "is destined for US customers," Alcoa chief executive William Oplinger said in a first-quarter earnings call late Wednesday. A higher Midwest premium should help offset most of those cost pressures in support of Alcoa's domestic smelters, but Oplinger warned that the company still faces a $100mn negative impact on its business in 2025 because of the higher Section 232 duties that US president Donald Trump implemented on 12 March. The company noted that the US lacks the infrastructure to cover domestic aluminum consumption, even if all other idled smelting capacity here would restart. "Until additional smelting capacity is built in the US, the most efficient aluminum supply chain is Canadian aluminum going into the US," Oplinger said. By his estimate, at least five domestic smelters would need to be added, but construction would take "many years" and investment would be partially dependent on access to new — and cheap — energy sources. "These new smelters would require additional energy production equivalent to almost seven new nuclear reactors or more than 10 Hoover dams," Oplinger said. Still, Alcoa maintained its full-year production and sales volume guidance for aluminum products, ranging between 2.3mn-2.5mn metric tonnes (t) and 2.6mn-2.8mn t, respectively. It also kept its outlook for alumina output and shipments unchanged at 9.5mn-9.7mn t and 13.1mn-13.3mn t, respectively. First-quarter aluminum production increased by 4pc to 564,000t from the prior-year period, while total sales volumes fell by 3.9pc in the same timeframe, reflecting timing of shipments and the end of its offtake agreement with Saudi Arabia Mining (Ma'aden) as part of its planned divestment from the entities' aluminum joint venture. Alumina output in January-March dropped by 12pc to 2.4mn t on the year, while shipments fell by 12pc as well, to 2.1mn t. Alcoa attributed the drop in sales volumes to timing of shipments and reduced trading. Quarterly bauxite production fell by 5.9pc to 9.5mn dry metric tonnes (dmt) from the prior-year period, while sales volumes increased by 67pc to 3mn dmt. The company was able to capitalize on supply tightness in the bauxite market that has helped elevate prices to $80-85/dmt, selling cargoes in the spot market. Alcoa posted a $548mn profit in the first quarter compared to a loss of $252mn in the prior-year period. Revenues increased by 30pc to nearly $3.4bn in the same timeframe. By Alex Nicoll Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more