High Carbon Ferrochrome Price Movements Across Major Chinese Regions on May 12

High Carbon Ferrochrome Quotes Across China on May 12

High carbon ferrochrome FeCr50C7.5 in natural block form traded in a narrow but uniformly lower band across China on May 12. Every quoted region recorded a decline of RMB 100 per 50 base tonne against the previous working day, for mainstream offers as well as for concluded mainstream transactions. The quotation basis throughout is RMB per 50 base tonne, ex-works, tax inclusive, cash payment, natural block.

Region	Grade	Mainstream quote	Change	Mainstream transaction price	Change
Inner Mongolia	FeCr50C7.5	8,000-8,100	Down 100	8,000-8,100	Down 100
Shanxi	FeCr50C7.5	8,000-8,200	Down 100	8,000-8,100	Down 100
Sichuan	FeCr50C7.5	8,100-8,200	Down 100	8,100-8,200	Down 100
Guizhou	FeCr50C7.5	8,150-8,250	Down 100	8,100-8,200	Down 100
Qinghai	FeCr50C7.5	8,100-8,150	Down 100	8,100-8,150	Down 100
Liaoning	FeCr50C7.5	8,150-8,250	Down 100	8,100-8,200	Down 100
Jilin	FeCr50C7.5	8,150-8,250	Down 100	8,100-8,200	Down 100
Hunan	FeCr50C7.5	8,200-8,250	Down 100	8,200-8,250	Down 100
Henan	FeCr50C7.5	8,200-8,300	Down 100	8,200-8,300	Down 100
Guangxi	FeCr50C7.5	8,250-8,350	Down 100	8,200-8,250	Down 100
Tianjin	FeCr50C7.5	8,150-8,250	Down 100	8,150-8,200	Down 100
Shandong	FeCr50C7.5	8,250-8,300	Down 100	8,200-8,300	Down 100
Jiangsu	FeCr50C7.5	8,300-8,400	Down 100	8,300-8,400	Down 100
Zhejiang	FeCr50C7.5	8,350-8,400	Down 100	8,300-8,400	Down 100
Shanghai	FeCr50C7.5	8,300-8,400	Down 100	8,300-8,400	Down 100
Shaanxi	FeCr50C7.5	8,000-8,100	Down 100	8,000-8,100	Down 100

Units: RMB per 50 base tonne, ex-works, tax-inclusive cash, natural block. Natural block means the alloy is shipped as cast, without intermediate crushing, which keeps the surface-to-volume ratio low and limits fines generation in transit.

How the Regional Spread Reads

The spread between the cheapest and the most expensive region was roughly RMB 350 per 50 base tonne on May 12, which is normal for a market where electricity cost, ore cost and freight distance differ by geography. Producing regions in the north and northwest - Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Qinghai and Shaanxi - sat at the lower edge of the range, reflecting short hauls from smelter to loading point and, in several cases, lower delivered power tariffs. Eastern and coastal consumption hubs - Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Shandong - occupied the upper edge because they price in inbound freight and serve stainless and special steel mills that need frequent, small lots rather than bulk tonnage.

What matters for a buyer reading this table is that the entire curve shifted down by the same RMB 100, not that individual regions diverged. A parallel shift of that kind usually points to an input-side or sentiment-side driver hitting every smelter at once rather than a local logistics event.

Grade Designations and Composition Reference

Ferrochrome is bought and sold by designation, and the designation itself carries the specification. In the common commercial naming convention the letters and numbers after FeCr state the chromium content and the maximum carbon content of the grade family, so a buyer can read the intended application straight off the name.

Low carbon ferrochrome: FeCr69C0.03 and FeCr55C3, with carbon held at 0.03% and 3.0% maximum respectively; used where carbon pickup must stay very low.

Medium carbon ferrochrome: FeCr55 and FeCr69C2, carbon 2.0% maximum, a middle route for alloy and special steel grades.

High carbon ferrochrome: FeCr67C6 and FeCr55C6, carbon 6.0% maximum, the workhorse charge material for stainless steel melting.

Chromium content across these families spans roughly 52% to 75% depending on the grade, with silicon, phosphorus and sulfur held to the tolerances agreed for the grade and inspection class. Because smelters reduce chrome ore with carbon in a submerged arc furnace, high carbon grades are the most economical way to introduce chromium units; refining to lower carbon is a separate and more energy-intensive operation, which is why low carbon grades carry a premium over the FeCr50C7.5 tonnage quoted above.

Size, Packing and Inspection

Standard supply is 10-50 mm natural block, which suits most electric furnace and converter charging systems without further handling. Other chemical compositions and other size fractions can be produced on request. Packing is normally in 1 MT big bags, which limits spillage, keeps lots traceable and allows a mill to charge a single bag at a time when trimming a heat.

Inspection is usually covered by a certificate issued either by a third party testing institution or by the producing works, according to what the contract calls for. For stainless steel melts, where chromium recovery and carbon control drive the cost of the heat, an independent certificate on chromium and carbon is the more common choice; for routine charge chrome tonnage, works certificates with retained sample are widely accepted.

What This Quote Sheet Does and Does Not Cover

The table above is a regional reference for one grade, one payment mode and one delivery basis. It does not fix a delivered price to a buyer's gate, and it should not be read as a national index: the same tonne of FeCr50C7.5 can be quoted differently once bagging, palletising, inland transport, port charges or a change of payment terms enter the calculation. Movement of RMB 100 on a RMB 8,000-8,400 base is about 1.2 to 1.3%, so on a 500 tonne lot the difference between the top of one day's range and the bottom of the next day's range is smaller than the difference created by choosing a far region over a near one.

The practical reading is straightforward. A buyer who needs FeCr50C7.5 natural block compares the change column, not the level column, to judge direction; compares the region column to judge landed cost; and confirms carbon, chromium, size and packing on the certificate before the lot is charged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does FeCr50C7.5 mean?
It is a high carbon ferrochrome designation used in the domestic market quotation, indicating the grade family together with its carbon level, 7.5% being the carbon figure carried in the name. The chromium and impurity tolerances for the lot are confirmed on the mill certificate.

Q: Why did every region move down by the same RMB 100 on May 12?
A uniform parallel shift across all listed regions suggests a common driver affecting the whole market, such as ore cost, power cost or sentiment, rather than a local event in one province. Local events normally show up as a divergence in one or two regions only.

Q: Which regions were cheapest on May 12?
Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi at RMB 8,000-8,100 per 50 base tonne, with Shanxi close behind at RMB 8,000-8,200 on the offer side. These are producing areas, so the quote carries less inbound freight than quotes for eastern consumption hubs.

Q: What size does high carbon ferrochrome normally ship in?
10-50 mm natural block is the standard fraction. The natural block form keeps fines low and is dimensioned for electric furnace and converter charging. Other fractions can be produced to order.

Q: How is high carbon ferrochrome packed?
Normally in 1 MT big bags. Big bag packing reduces handling loss, keeps lots separate for traceability and is straightforward to unload and charge at the mill.

Q: Who issues the inspection certificate?
Either a third party testing institution or the producing factory, depending on the contract. For melts where chromium recovery and carbon control are critical, the independent route is generally preferred.

Q: Are the quoted prices delivered prices?
No. The figures are ex-works, tax inclusive, cash, on a natural block basis. Bagging, inland freight, port charges and payment terms are additional and change the landed number.