Medium Carbon VS Low Carbon Ferro Chrome, November 4, 2026?

China's domestic ferro chrome market split into two behaviours on November 4, 2026: the carbon-rich end held, while the refined end gave ground in two provinces. High carbon FeCr50C7.5 was flat in all seven regions covered, from CNY 7,300-7,450 in North China to 7,700-7,750 in Shanghai, and medium carbon FeCr55C2.0 held at CNY 11,700-11,800 in all four provinces quoted. Low carbon FeCr55C0.25 stayed at CNY 12,500-12,600 in Sichuan and 12,700-12,800 in Jiangsu, but fell CNY 50 to 12,200-12,300 in Shanxi and 12,100-12,200 in Inner Mongolia. Both micro carbon grades moved the same way in the same two provinces.

The pattern is easy to misread. Twenty-three lines are published and only six moved, so a reader scanning for direction sees a flat market. The cuts were confined to the low and micro carbon grades in two provinces and were uniform at CNY 50 per tonne.

This report records the quotes as published, identifies which lines moved, explains why high carbon and the carbon grades sit on different chromium bases, compares the two grades buyers most often weigh against each other, and lists what to settle before ordering.

Table 1. Ferro chrome prices in China, November 4, 2026

Quotes in CNY per tonne, ex-works, tax included, cash payment. "Change" compares the November 4 line with the November 3 line; a dash means no adjustment.

Note: the quotes are ex-works with tax included on a cash basis, so they do not compare directly with an offer priced on delivered terms or on an acceptance bill. Every refined-grade range is CNY 100 per tonne wide, while the high carbon quotes are mostly CNY 50 wide, at 150 in North China and 100 in Northwest China. The sheet gives no traded-price column, packing term or size range. For the classification behind these designations, see our ferro chrome classification guide.

Seventeen of the twenty-three published lines were unchanged. Six fell, all by CNY 50 per tonne, and all in two provinces.

• High carbon FeCr50C7.5 - seven regions, CNY 7,300-7,750/MT, no change.
• Medium carbon FeCr55C2.0 - four provinces, CNY 11,700-11,800/MT, no change.
• Low carbon FeCr55C0.25 - Shanxi down CNY 50 to 12,200-12,300; Inner Mongolia down CNY 50 to 12,100-12,200; Sichuan and Jiangsu unchanged.
• Micro carbon FeCr55C0.10 - Shanxi down CNY 50 to 12,400-12,500; Inner Mongolia down CNY 50 to 12,300-12,400; Sichuan and Jiangsu unchanged.
• Micro carbon FeCr55C0.06 - Shanxi down CNY 50 to 12,600-12,700; Inner Mongolia down CNY 50 to 12,500-12,600; Sichuan and Jiangsu unchanged.

The direction of the day was one-sided but shallow. Nothing rose, and the only declines were CNY 50 on the refined grades in two provinces, which left the premium structure between the carbon grades intact: the same CNY 50 came off every affected line in the same two places.

The sheet records the movement and nothing else, so this report attributes no cause to it. A CNY 50 cut in two provinces is a published adjustment, not a verdict, and it does not tell a buyer whether the next session will continue, hold or reverse.

Both are charge chrome refined to a carbon ceiling, and the difference is how much carbon a steelmaker can leave in the melt. Medium carbon FeCr55C2.0 caps carbon at 2.0%; low carbon FeCr55C0.25 caps it at 0.25%, an eightfold reduction. Chromium is specified the same way in both: 60.0% minimum for first grade and 52.0% for second, which is why both appear on a 60 basis.

Table 2. Ferro chrome grade limits, GB/T 5683-2024

Limits from Tables 2, 3 and 4 of GB/T 5683-2024 (effective November 1, 2024, replacing GB/T 5683-2008), Values are standard limits, not assay results for a specific lot.

The standard also explains the two bases in the price sheet. It sets the reference chromium content at 60% for medium, low and micro carbon ferro chrome and at 50% for high carbon, because a high carbon grade can be sold at a lower chromium level and still be priced per tonne of alloy. That is why Table 1 labels the high carbon line 50 basis and the carbon grades 60 basis: a CNY 7,300 high carbon quote and a CNY 11,700 medium carbon quote are not prices for the same unit of chromium.

In use, the two answer different questions. Medium carbon suits steels where a few tenths of residual carbon are acceptable; low carbon is chosen when a 2.0% ceiling would fail the heat, which is why it carries a premium of hundreds rather than dozens of yuan per tonne. The standard also fixes the physical side: size grades run from 10-50 mm to 10-250 mm, screening allows 5% below the lower limit and 7% above the upper for coarser grades, and a lot is one grade with chromium varying by no more than 3%.

Table 3. Medium Carbon Ferro Chrome VS Low Carbon Ferro Chrome, Inner Mongolia, November 4, 2026

Because both lines are quoted in one province, on the same terms and on the same 60 basis, the comparison is like-for-like on everything but the product. The result is clean: low carbon sat exactly CNY 400 per tonne above medium carbon at both the low end (12,100 against 11,700) and the high end (12,200 against 11,800), and both ranges were CNY 100 wide.

The asymmetry on the day is in the change column. Medium carbon was unchanged while low carbon came down CNY 50, so the gap narrowed by CNY 50 against the previous session even though the published ranges still differ by CNY 400. A buyer holding yesterday's offer should re-price against today's low carbon line.

A published range is a reference level, not a delivered cost. These checks cover the gap between the two.

• The chromium basis. Establish whether the offer is priced on a 60 basis or a 50 basis before comparing numbers.
• Grade I or Grade II. The standard allows lower chromium and looser silicon, phosphorus and sulphur for second grade, so ask which grade the certificate states.
• Carbon and impurity figures. Compare the lot certificate with the standard ceilings for that grade, not with the trade designation.
• Size range and screening. Fix the size grade and both screening allowances against how the material will be charged.
• Delivery, tax and payment basis. These quotes are ex-works, tax included, cash; convert delivered or acceptance-bill offers first.
• Quantity and lead time. Confirm what the quoted plant can supply inside your window, in writing.

Specifications, size options and standard packing for the refined carbon grades are set out on our Low Carbon Ferro Chrome product page.

• High carbon FeCr50C7.5 was unchanged in all seven regions, from CNY 7,300-7,450/MT in North China to CNY 7,700-7,750 in Shanghai; medium carbon held at CNY 11,700-11,800 in four provinces.
• Low and micro carbon grades fell CNY 50/MT in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia; the Sichuan and Jiangsu quotes did not move.
• High carbon is priced on a 50% chromium basis and the carbon grades on a 60% basis under GB/T 5683-2024, so the two cannot be compared per tonne without adjustment.
• Medium Carbon Ferro Chrome sat CNY 400/MT below Low Carbon Ferro Chrome at both ends of the range, but low carbon fell CNY 50 on the day.

If you are buying ferro chrome and need a firm offer against a stated carbon grade, chromium basis, size range and delivery point, send us the specification. ZhenAn has supplied ferroalloys and minor metals to steel and alloy producers for more than 30 years. Tell us the grade, the tonnage and the destination, and we will come back with terms: WhatsApp: +86 15518824805 or Email: info@zaferroalloy.com.