According to customs statistics, in November 2022, China imported 12,900 tons of natural flake graphite, an increase of 105.57% year-on-year and a decrease of 8.33% month-on-month. The import structure remained stable, with 4,905.7 tons and 7,924 tons imported from Mozambique and Madagascar respectively; A new high reached 5603.1 yuan/ton.

At present, the price of flake graphite in China also continues to be high: in December, due to the drop in temperature and insufficient water supply in the Luobei area of Heilongjiang, most graphite flotation production lines were shut down. The production of graphite enterprises in the Jixi area is relatively standard, but it is expected that by the end of the month, most Enterprises will also gradually stop production. As the domestic graphite market gradually enters the hibernation period, the overall supply of domestic flake graphite will decline significantly. In terms of market demand, although the growth rate of negative electrode materials has slowed down recently due to the clearance of battery factories, there is still some support for the demand for flake graphite -194 and -195 specification products. The psychology of resistance to high-priced raw materials is obvious, and the transaction price of large orders in the market is temporarily stable.

In November 2022, China exported 6389.52 tons of natural flake graphite, a year-on-year decrease of 49.98% and a month-on-month decrease of 17.12%. The top three exports were: from Japan, South Korea, and India. As the domestic natural graphite market gradually enters the "winter break period", most of the increase in flakes is supplied to domestic downstream customers. In November, the export volume dropped again, and the year-on-year decline hit a new low. As of November, a total of 94,700 tons of natural flake graphite was exported this year. , a decrease of 15,100 tons compared with the same period last year.

In November 2022, the export volume of moon-shaped graphite reached a new high, reaching 6,759.88 tons, an increase of 38.68% year-on-year and a month-on-month increase of 43.28%, mainly exported to the United States, Japan, and South Korea, of which South Korea’s import volume exceeded 4,900 tons, and overseas demand was stable. As of November, a total of 56,200 tons of spherical graphite has been exported this year, which is the same as last year's period. Due to the high domestic prices of -194 and -195 flake graphite, the average export price of spheroidized graphite remains high. However, according to some manufacturers, overseas customers are more willing to cut prices recently, and domestic orders have also declined compared with the previous three quarters. Most of the spheroidizing enterprises in the world have completed the current round of expansion. Under the influence of loose supply and weak demand, the price of spheroidized graphite is expected to fall accordingly.

Data from China Customs