Ferrosilicon Export Prices from China: FeSi72 and FeSi75 Assessment

February 13, 2023 Ferrosilicon Export Price Snapshot

Chinese ferrosilicon export prices for February 13, 2023 were assessed on an FOB basis in US dollars per tonne. The two mainstream grades ended the assessment on different notes.

Product	Grade	Price (USD/ton)	Change	Remarks
Ferrosilicon	72	1530-1570	down 10	FOB
Ferrosilicon	75	1650-1680	unchanged	FOB

The 72 grade softened by 10 USD/ton to 1530-1570 USD/ton, while the 75 grade held steady at 1650-1680 USD/ton. At the mid-point of the two published ranges the higher-silicon grade finished about 115 USD/ton above the lower one, so the normal premium for extra silicon was preserved even as the weaker grade slipped.

What the FeSi72 and FeSi75 Grades Mean

Ferrosilicon is designated by its silicon content. FeSi75 carries a nominal 75 percent silicon and FeSi72 a nominal 72 percent, with the balance made up of iron, aluminium, calcium, carbon and trace elements. The Chinese national ferrosilicon specification, GB/T 2272, and the corresponding international specification, ISO 5445, define the grades, the permitted ranges for silicon, and the maximum aluminium, carbon, sulphur and phosphorus levels for each grade.

Aluminium is the residual element that matters most in practice. Aluminium-killed steels and certain foundry irons are sensitive to the aluminium carried in by the ferroalloy, so grades are ordered not only by silicon content but also by an aluminium cap. A purchaser who specifies only 75 percent silicon and ignores the aluminium limit may receive material that complies on silicon yet behaves differently in the ladle.

Silicon content: the primary grade marker, typically 72 percent or 75 percent minimum depending on the designation ordered.

Aluminium content: capped separately, and the usual reason two offers for the same silicon grade differ.

Carbon, sulphur and phosphorus: controlled as residual elements with grade-specific ceilings.

Lump size: normally supplied in graded ranges such as 10-50 mm or 10-100 mm, with fines limited by agreement.

Why the 72 Grade Softened by 10 USD/ton

The assessment date, February 13, 2023, fell in the first full working week after the Chinese New Year holiday. Ferrosilicon is smelted in submerged arc furnaces from quartzite, carbon reductant and iron-bearing feed, and output from the main producing regions of Ningxia, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Gansu had been restored quickly once the holiday ended. Exports, by contrast, were still rebuilding: overseas buyers had covered early-year requirements before the break, and shipping bookings take time to resume after the holiday lull.

When supply returns to the market faster than export demand, the most heavily traded grade usually gives ground first, and on this assessment that was the 72 grade. The 75 grade held its level because it serves a narrower set of customers, including foundries and special-steel producers that cannot substitute a lower-silicon grade without changing their charge mix. This reading of the price movement follows the ordinary mechanics of a post-holiday ferroalloy market; it is an interpretation of the published prices rather than a separate quoted figure.

Three further influences normally sit behind any change of this size:

Electricity price and power allocation in the smelting provinces, since ferrosilicon production is highly electricity intensive.

Quartzite and reductant cost, together with the yield of the furnaces in operation.

The exchange rate between the renminbi and the US dollar, because export offers are written in dollars.

Production Base and Quality Control Behind the Quotation

Chinese ferrosilicon supply is supported by integrated metallurgical plants rather than by furnace operators alone. A representative plant in Anyang City, Henan Province, covers around 30,000 square metres and operates two production bases, one of them hydrometallurgical, alongside two key laboratories and a metallurgical materials testing centre staffed by senior researchers. For an export buyer, the practical value of that structure is that incoming raw materials, furnace output and finished lots can all be checked in house before dispatch.

Typical pre-shipment controls on a ferrosilicon order include determination of silicon, aluminium, carbon, sulphur and phosphorus on a representative sample, verification of lump size distribution, a check on moisture, and confirmation that the packed weight matches the packing list. The results are issued as a certificate of analysis, which the buyer can compare against an independent laboratory result taken at the loading port. Agreeing in advance which laboratory decides a dispute is cheaper than arguing after the vessel has sailed.

Specifying and Buying Ferrosilicon on FOB Terms

On an FOB contract the seller delivers the goods alongside the vessel at the agreed Chinese port, clears them for export and loads them, while the buyer arranges and pays for ocean freight and insurance. To make two FOB offers genuinely comparable, the following points should be fixed in writing before the price is treated as firm:

Grade designation, silicon content basis and the maximum aluminium content permitted.

Lump size range and the maximum proportion of fines accepted.

Packing, whether one-tonne bags, 25 kilogram bags or steel drums, and the net weight per unit.

Port of loading, shipment window and whether partial shipments or transhipment are allowed.

Payment terms and the documents required for the letter of credit.

Sampling and analytical method, and the inspection body whose result is binding.

Packing choice has a direct effect on landed cost. Bulk one-tonne bags load efficiently into a container and suit steel mills that charge the alloy by weight, while smaller bags or drums suit foundries that must charge by counted unit. Because bagging and palletising are labour-intensive, changing the packing specification after the price has been agreed is one of the commonest causes of disputes in ferroalloy trade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What were the February 13, 2023 ferrosilicon export prices?
Grade 72 was assessed at 1530-1570 USD/ton, down 10 USD/ton, and grade 75 at 1650-1680 USD/ton, unchanged, both on an FOB basis.

Q: What do the grades 72 and 75 refer to?
They indicate the nominal silicon content of the alloy, so grade 75 carries about 75 percent silicon and grade 72 about 72 percent, with the balance being iron and residual elements.

Q: Why did the 72 grade fall while the 75 grade held?
Post-holiday furnace output returned faster than export demand, and the most heavily traded grade absorbs that imbalance first; the 75 grade serves a narrower set of foundry and special-steel buyers.

Q: Does a higher silicon content always mean a better alloy?
No. Silicon content must be matched to the charge calculation, and the aluminium, carbon, sulphur and phosphorus limits can matter more for a specific steel or iron grade.

Q: Which standards define ferrosilicon grades?
The Chinese national specification GB/T 2272 and the international specification ISO 5445 set out the grade designations and the permitted ranges for silicon and the controlled residual elements.

Q: What lump sizes are normally traded?
Graded ranges such as 10-50 mm and 10-100 mm are the common export sizes, with the acceptable proportion of fines fixed in the contract.