Strong alumina market hard to push up Malaysian bauxite prices
2014-10-21 08:46:46 [Print]
BEIJING (Asian Metal) 21 Oct 14 - Chinese alumina price hovered around RMB2,800/t (USD452/t) ex works, which has been high-held for more than one month. Some Chinese alumina refineries planned to increase production, but the price for Malaysian bauxite remained steady.
A Chinese consumer of imported bauxite noted that they would purchase 130,000t of Malaysian bauxite in October. “The price for bauxite Al 42-43% Si 5%max is around USD47-48/t CIF China,” said the source.
According to the source, more and more new bauxite suppliers appeared recently, weighing on the export prices. Therefore, the recovering Chinese alumina market did not push up the imported bauxite price. Meanwhile, the source believed that the strong alumina market could not last for a long time and might retreat soon because of the sliding down aluminum ingot market.
The alumina refinery is running fully at 550,000tpy with monthly consumption for imported bauxite at around 150,000t. They once consumed around 120,000tpm.
A trader from China confirmed that there was no sign for the Malaysian bauxite price to edge up. “We imported around 45,000t of bauxite from Malaysia this month, and the volume may reach 50,000t next month,” said the source, adding that the price for bauxite Al 42%min Si 5%max is around USD46/t CIF China.
As the source noted, some suppliers even offer USD34/t FOB Malaysia for bauxite Al 40%min. “The price is likely to keep steady late this year, as there are still many bauxite stocks in China,” said the source.
Looking ahead, the trader predicted that Malaysian bauxite price may go up next February or March, when the bauxite stocks may slide down.
A Chinese consumer of imported bauxite noted that they would purchase 130,000t of Malaysian bauxite in October. “The price for bauxite Al 42-43% Si 5%max is around USD47-48/t CIF China,” said the source.
According to the source, more and more new bauxite suppliers appeared recently, weighing on the export prices. Therefore, the recovering Chinese alumina market did not push up the imported bauxite price. Meanwhile, the source believed that the strong alumina market could not last for a long time and might retreat soon because of the sliding down aluminum ingot market.
The alumina refinery is running fully at 550,000tpy with monthly consumption for imported bauxite at around 150,000t. They once consumed around 120,000tpm.
A trader from China confirmed that there was no sign for the Malaysian bauxite price to edge up. “We imported around 45,000t of bauxite from Malaysia this month, and the volume may reach 50,000t next month,” said the source, adding that the price for bauxite Al 42%min Si 5%max is around USD46/t CIF China.
As the source noted, some suppliers even offer USD34/t FOB Malaysia for bauxite Al 40%min. “The price is likely to keep steady late this year, as there are still many bauxite stocks in China,” said the source.
Looking ahead, the trader predicted that Malaysian bauxite price may go up next February or March, when the bauxite stocks may slide down.
Caustic Soda 32%min Delivered China
Unit:RMB/mt 100-basis
China alumina producers' suspension number statistics by province by month
Unit: pcs
