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China’s imports of unprocessed aluminum and aluminum products fell year-on-year in April 2025, but rebounded strongly from the previous month, according to official customs data.
In detail, China imported about 370,000 tons of unprocessed aluminum and aluminum products in April, down 3.8% from April 2024, when imports stood at around 380,000 tons.
However, the monthly figure shows an increase of 8.82% from March 2025, when imports stopped at 340,000 tons, marking a recovery after the 10.6% decline recorded in the previous month.
First Four Months of 2025 Trends: 11.4% Accumulated Decline
For the entire first four months of 2025, China’s total imports of unprocessed aluminum and related products stood at 1.32 million tons, down 11.4% from the same period in 2024, when imports totaled 1.49 million tons.
This data points to a weaker structural backdrop for China’s external demand for aluminum products, which may reflect an improvement in domestic production on the one hand, and China’s increasingly self-reliant industrial and customs policies on the other.
Bauxite Imports Rise Sharply: Strategic Raw Material in the Spotlight
While aluminum imports are slowing, the same cannot be said for bauxite, a key raw material for primary aluminum production. In April 2025, China recorded a real boom in imports, with 20.7 million tons, marking a 46% annual growth compared to 14.24 million tons in April 2024.
Bauxite CIF – Aluminum 48%-51% – Silicon 7%-12% – China Cny/ton – Powered by Commodity Evolution
The month-on-month comparison also shows a significant increase of 20.02%, confirming a trend of strengthening supplies in view of a potential growth in domestic refining.
Bauxite Imports See Strong Expansion in Four Months: +34.2% YoY
In the first four months of 2025, China imported a total of 67.7 million tons of bauxite, an increase of 34.2% compared to the same period of 2024, when imports stopped at 50.58 million tons.
This growth represents a structural increase in China’s bauxite needs, probably linked both to the expansion of domestic refining capacity (especially in the provinces of Guangxi and Shandong) and to stockpiling strategies in response to geopolitical instability and logistical difficulties in some key supply areas, such as Guinea and Australia.
April and March 2025 Comparison: Sustained Import Acceleration
The comparison between March and April 2025 highlights a notable acceleration. In March, bauxite imports amounted to 16.47 million tonnes, up 39.1% compared to March 2024. In April, the figure rose further to 20.8 million tonnes, with a monthly increase of 26.3%.
This monthly dynamic could be linked both to a post-holiday normalization (after the effects of the Lunar New Year), and to an increase in arrivals from consolidated maritime routes, in particular from Guinea, which remains the leading exporter of bauxite to China.
Conclusions: Aluminum Down, But Upstream Strengthening Strategy In The Supply Chain
In summary, while imports of finished and semi-finished aluminum show a slowdown in 2025, reflecting weaker demand or more competitive domestic production, the explosive growth of bauxite imports suggests that China is enhancing production autonomy in the upstream segment of the aluminum supply chain.
This orientation reinforces the hypothesis of an industrial strategy aimed at consolidating the domestic supply chain, focusing on domestic refiners and smelters, while reducing dependence on foreign processed products.