China's sulphuric acid exports hit a record high for the period in January-May, driven by greater acid availability following the expansion of smelting capacity and strong fob prices.
China exported 1.8mn t of sulphuric acid in January-May, more than double the 870,000t exported a year earlier, customs data show.
The previous high for January-May was in 2022, at 1.7mn t.
China's smelting capacity has risen this year, notably with the launch of Tongling Nonferrous' 500,000 t/yr Jinxin copper smelter in Tongling city in east China's Anhui province on 26 March.
Exports are expected to remain buoyant, with smelting capacity rising by over 1mn t/yr in 2025, according to industry estimates.
Additional support came from firmer Chinese fob prices in January-May, driven by tight spot availability from Asian suppliers — mainly South Korean and Japanese — as a lack of metal concentrates and maintenance outages limited production.
Global copper concentrate supply is expected to remain tight this year, weighing on copper concentrate treatment and refining charges.
Chile was the main recipient of Chinese acid in January-May, taking 715,000t, up by 56pc on the year.
Exports to Indonesia and Saudi Arabia rose sharply — to 216,000t and 195,000t, respectively, up from 50,000t each a year earlier.
Morocco received 176,000t, more than doubling its 81,000t take a year earlier.
