From January to February 2023, the import volume of needle coke will increase steadily. However, under the environment of poor domestic demand for needle coke, the increase in import volume has further impacted the domestic market.
From January to February, the total import of needle coke was 27,700 tons, a year-on-year increase of 16.88%. Among them, the import volume in February was 14,500 tons, an increase of 9.85% from January. Judging from the level of the same period last year, the import of needle coke from January to February was at a relatively high level, which is also related to the decline in domestic supply of needle coke during the Chinese New Year.
From the perspective of import source countries, the United Kingdom and the United States no longer occupy the main force, and Japan and South Korea have risen to become the main source countries of needle coke imports. From January to February, imports of needle coke from South Korea accounted for 37.6%, and imports of needle coke from Japan accounted for 31.4%, mainly due to downstream cost control and the selection of Japanese and Korean products with more competitive prices.
From January to February, the import of needle coke is dominated by coal-based needle coke, accounting for 63%, followed by oil-based needle coke, accounting for 37%. Whether it is graphite electrodes or anode materials in the downstream of needle coke, under the current sluggish demand and the difficult situation of lower prices downstream, the control of raw material prices has become the main consideration, and imported coal-based needle coke has become the mainstream product of imports .
It is worth noting that starting from 2022, needle coke raw coke products have also begun to be imported, and the volume is relatively large from August to October. In February this year, the monthly import volume of raw coke reached 25,500 tons, second only to in October 2022. The total domestic demand for needle coke in February was 107,000 tons, and the import volume accounted for as high as 37.4% of the demand. The domestic needle coke market has doubled the pressure on shipments.
Looking at the market outlook, the domestic needle coke market also declined in March, but there is still a certain pressure to compete with foreign resources. The downstream demand continues to be poor, and the import volume of needle coke may decline slightly.
Post time: Mar-28-2023