China's port capacity reached 102.594 million tons on September 24, 2026, marking an increase of 681,500 tons compared to the previous week. This increase has ended three consecutive weeks of declining capacities and signifies a significant change in market conditions.
Overall Increase and Product Breakdown
In total, the capacity of 35 ports also reached 145.45 million tons, indicating an increase of 1.12 million tons. Specifically, all of this increase was related to lower-grade products (fines), which saw an increase of 808,100 tons, while other products including concentrates, bulk materials, and pellets have decreased. This situation is well reflected in the increase of 4.41 million tons in imports, which shows a 16.39 percent increase compared to the previous week. The increase in imports to the ports is mainly due to the rise in lower-grade products currently at the ports.
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Decrease in Exports and Market Analysis
Exports also increased to 3.235 million tons on the same day, which is 25,000 tons more than the previous week. According to analysts, imports have significantly increased while exports have risen slightly due to stockpiling ahead of the holidays. In this context, ports are still moderately under construction. It seems that the stockpiling trend continues, but can no longer provide the necessary support for the market.
Analysts believe that the increase in imports and stockpiling at factories will continue, but support from stockpiling will gradually decrease. In terms of prices, yesterday the price of lower-grade karajás decreased by 2 yuan while the price of SSF increased by 3 yuan. However, today the prices of karajás increased by 9 yuan to 851 yuan and SSF decreased by 1 yuan. These changes indicate short-term fluctuations in the market and it seems that the price situation is currently moving towards balance due to rising transportation costs.
Given the current conditions, it seems that the construction trend has begun and stockpiling is gradually decreasing. These two lines converge around China's National Holidays, and the status of imports and exports next week, as well as the actual path of hot metal in October, could have a significant impact on the accumulation trend.
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