Monthly review: China's needle coke exports are expected to exceed 50,000 tons in 2022

ICC: In March, the needle coke market as a whole maintained a good trend. Affected by the russia-Ukraine war and the increase in oil prices, the epidemic caused traffic restrictions and other factors, the domestic needle coke market in March was raised by 1000 yuan. The overall operating rate of enterprises reached about 70%. In terms of domestic prices, coal series needle coke is 11000-12500 yuan/ton, oil series needle coke is 11500-13500 yuan/ton, and raw coke is 7500-9500 yuan/ton. In terms of import volume, the total import volume of coal series needle coke in January-February was 4,390 tons, and that of oil series was 9,549 tons. Import prices, coal series needle coke Japan $1700-1900 / ton; South Korea $1600 / ton, oil needle coke UK $1900-2100 / ton; Japan 2500-2800 USD/ton, anode coke price at 1200-1500 USD/ton. In terms of export volume, China's total export volume of oil-based needle coke in January-February was 10,863 tons, with the export price at $1700-1900 / ton.

On the downstream side, the price of graphite electrode in March increased by about 5% compared with February, and the mainstream quotation of UHP600mm specifications was 27500-28500 yuan/ton, and the bidding price of some steel mills rose by about 1500 yuan/ton at the end of the month. Some electric furnace steel mills have more stock before the holiday, while most electric steel furnace factories are in the production limit state, so the temporary replenishment will not be strong, and the output of graphite electrode manufacturers has recovered recently, so it is predicted that the price of graphite electrode will be stable in the near future. In March, the anode market continues to improve, and the overall supply is still tight. The cost pressure from raw materials makes the anode materials open the price negotiation of the next quarter again. The tight supply of anode materials makes the anode manufacturers have high enthusiasm for taking goods and significant willingness to stock goods in advance. In general, the domestic epidemic situation in March was serious, traffic restrictions led to the obstruction of the circulation of raw materials and products, and the high price of raw materials was difficult to keep down. It is predicted that the domestic needle coke price will still have upward space in the short term.