China Abrasive Materials Weekly Price (10-16 Aug): BFA operating rate may be affected again
According to Antaike alumina price index on August 14, China’s alumina spot index is RMB 2335/ton, and the national average alumina price is RMB 2481/ton. The market price is relatively stable. The raw material for white fused alumina is non-metallurgical grade alumina, and prices have also remained stable this week.
This week, although the raw material price remained stable, due to the previous decline, the price of white fused alumina in China will compensate for the decline this week, and some companies have slightly lowered their prices by about RMB 50/ton. It is expected that in the coming week, white fused alumina prices may temporarily stand firm.
This week, the downstream demand for brown fused alumina in China was weak, and market transactions were sluggish. Most production companies were still in a state of production reduction or suspension. At present, due to the lack of new mines to supply bauxite in Shanxi Province, most of the raw material bauxite used in the production of local smelting enterprises is purchased from Guizhou or Henan. However, with the recent launch of special inspections on bauxite mines in Guizhou and Henan Province becoming stricter, the procurement difficulties are also increasing. Overall, due to the tight supply of high-grade bauxite and strong prices, it is expected that the price of high-grade mature bauxite in China will remain stable in the coming week.
In addition, the recent tightening of environmental protection and production safety inspections in Henan may further affect the operating rate of local enterprises. It is expected that in the coming week, supported by raw material costs, China's brown fused alumina prices may continue to remain stable.
According to the data from Asian Metal, the operating rate of Chinese brown fused alumina producers in July 2020 was 20.75%, a decrease of 21.07% from the previous month and a year-on-year decrease of 24.71%. Among them, the operating rate of brown fused alumina producers in Guangxi was 43.5%; the operating rate of brown fused alumina producers in Guizhou was 30.89%; the operating rate of brown fused alumina producers in Shanxi was 40.93%; and the operating rate of brown fused alumina producers in Henan was 10.79%.
This week, due to weak downstream demand in the domestic market, transactions in the black silicon carbide were slow, but manufacturers intend to maintain price stability. Therefore, it is expected that the price of black silicon carbide abrasives in China may remain stable in the coming week.
This week, despite the weak market demand for green silicon carbide, manufacturers have no intention to cut prices. It is expected that the price of green silicon carbide will hold firm in the next week.
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