Silicon Metal Price per Ton - China Export Snapshot (July 16, 2025)

Timeliness note: the quotes below are a historical snapshot dated July 16, 2025. They are for reference and trend analysis only; confirm current prices with live market sources and supplier quotations.

1. Price Snapshot (FOB Huangpu Port, USD/ton, tax-included)

Grade	Quote	Change
553	1220-1240	+20
441	1250-1300	+20
421	1370-1420	+20
3303	1400-1440	+20
2202	2150-2250	Flat

2. Grade Meanings

Metal silicon grades are named by the maximum Fe, Al and Ca content (percent):

553: Fe ≤0.5%, Al ≤0.5%, Ca ≤0.3%

441: Fe ≤0.4%, Al ≤0.4%, Ca ≤0.1%

421: Fe ≤0.4%, Al ≤0.2%, Ca ≤0.1%

3303: Fe ≤0.3%, Al ≤0.3%, Ca ≤0.03%

2202: Fe ≤0.2%, Al ≤0.2%, Ca ≤0.02%

3. Main Uses

Aluminum alloys: silicon improves fluidity and mechanical properties of casting alloys (largest use of 553/441).

Silicones (organic silicon): 421/441 feedstock for methyl chlorosilane synthesis.

Polysilicon feedstock: high grades (2202/3303) are refined into solar-grade and electronic-grade polysilicon.

Steelmaking: deoxidizer and alloying additive.

4. How to Verify Current Prices

Track published index prices for Chinese metal silicon (domestic and export).

Request quotations with grade, lump size (10-100 mm), packing and Incoterms from multiple suppliers.

Note that hydropower seasonality in Yunnan/Sichuan affects supply and price levels significantly.

5. Why the Grade Spread Is So Wide

The July 16, 2025 snapshot shows the same product quoted from 1220-1240 USD/t for grade 553 up to 2150-2250 USD/t for grade 2202, a gap of more than 900 USD/t between the midpoints. The spread is a purity premium: each tightening of the iron, aluminium and calcium limits demands cleaner raw materials, tighter process control and slower furnace operation, because the impurities must be kept out of the metal rather than removed afterwards. Grade 553, with the loosest limits, is produced in the largest volumes and sets the benchmark level of the market, while the high-purity grades 2202 and 3303 carry progressively higher premiums because their production share is smaller and their specifications serve more demanding downstream processes.

6. Production Route and Cost Drivers

Metal silicon is produced in submerged arc furnaces by carbothermic reduction of quartz with carbon reductants. The process is among the most electricity-intensive in the ferroalloy industry, so power cost dominates the production economics. In China the main production areas are the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, which rely heavily on hydropower: during the wet season abundant hydro generation supports full furnace utilisation, while in the dry season power availability falls, output is curtailed and supply tightens. This seasonality is a structural driver of Chinese silicon metal prices and explains why the same grade can move by several hundred yuan per tonne between seasons. Export quotations on an FOB basis additionally reflect port handling at ports such as Huangpu, packing and the tax treatment stated in the quotation.

7. What Sits Behind an Export Quotation

A reliable silicon metal export offer defines more than the price. The grade sets the maximum iron, aluminium and calcium contents, and the lump size range, commonly around 10-100 mm, determines how the material behaves in the buyer's melting or chemical process. Packing, typically big bags on pallets for container shipment, affects handling cost and the risk of breakage and fines. The commercial basis must also be explicit: FOB Huangpu, tax-included, in US dollars per tonne is the convention used in this snapshot, but the same metal quoted on a delivered basis or with a different tax treatment will carry a different number. Buyers who compare quotations across reports should therefore align grade, lump size, packing, port and tax basis before ranking the prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the grade number on silicon metal mean? The three digits state the maximum iron, aluminium and calcium content in percent: 553 means iron up to 0.5%, aluminium up to 0.5% and calcium up to 0.3%, and 2202 means iron up to 0.2%, aluminium up to 0.2% and calcium up to 0.02%. Tighter numbers mean a purer grade.

Why is grade 2202 so much more expensive than grade 553? On the July 16, 2025 snapshot, 553 was quoted at 1220-1240 USD/t while 2202 was quoted at 2150-2250 USD/t. The difference is the cost of purity: keeping iron, aluminium and calcium at or below 0.2% and 0.02% requires cleaner raw materials, tighter process control and lower furnace productivity than the looser 553 specification, so the premium reflects both yield loss and additional processing effort.

What is silicon metal used for? The largest outlet is aluminium alloys, where silicon improves the fluidity and mechanical properties of casting alloys and typically consumes the 553 and 441 grades. Chemical grades 421 and 441 feed silicone production through methyl chlorosilane synthesis, high-purity 2202 and 3303 are refined into polysilicon for the solar and electronics industries, and lower grades serve steelmaking as a deoxidiser and alloying addition.

Why does hydropower seasonality affect silicon metal prices? Chinese metal silicon production is concentrated in Yunnan and Sichuan, where furnaces run on hydropower. In the wet season, abundant hydro generation supports full production, while in the dry season power is short, furnaces are curtailed and supply tightens. Because electricity is the largest cost component, this seasonal pattern moves both output and prices significantly through the year.

What does FOB Huangpu mean in the quotation? It identifies the export price basis: the seller's responsibility ends when the material is loaded onboard a vessel at Huangpu port, and the quoted figure includes the costs up to that point, with the export taxes covered as stated. The same grade delivered to another port or on a different Incoterms basis will carry a different price, so the basis must be checked whenever quotations are compared.

Which grade should a buyer select for a given application? Selection follows the downstream process: aluminium casting alloys commonly run on 553 or 441, silicone chemistry on 421 or 441, and polysilicon refining on the high-purity 2202 or 3303 grades. The buyer should also define the lump size range, packing and delivery terms, because the price per tonne depends on the full specification, not the grade number alone.