As announced by the Chinese customs authorities on April 21, in March this year China's iron ore imports from Australia amounted to 24 million mt, increasing by 22.39 percent year on year and up 16.85 percent month on month.
In March, China's iron ore imports from Australia, Brazil and India accounted for 83 percent of its total iron ore import volume, up from 80 percent in February. China's iron ore imports from Australia in March accounted for 40.7 percent of its total iron ore import volume, down slightly compared with 41.6 percent in February.
China's total iron ore import volume in March reached 59 million mt, increasing by 13.46 percent year on year and up 19.5 percent month on month, due to the increased production of domestic mills aimed at meeting the peak demand expected to occur in the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile, China's total iron ore imports in the first quarter came to 155 million mt, up by 18 percent year on year.
In addition, as stated by Chinese customs, the average iron ore import price in China rose from $95.93/mt in February to $101.49/mt in March.