The manganese ore market in China has continued to characterized by stable quotations in the past week, while demand has remained weak. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 44 percent Mn content currently stand at $6.36-6.52/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of South African origin lump ore of 44 percent Mn content are at $6.50-6.67/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 38 percent grade Mn ore from Australia are in the range of $5.71-5.87/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $5.81-5.96/dmtu.
The trading volume in the Chinese manganese ore market has generally been slack in the past weak. Prices are low in the downstream silicon manganese alloy market and so there is not as much interest at the present time in purchasing manganese ore. The trading volume at northern ports is better than that at southern ports. Many alloy producers in the south have chosen to stop or halt production, leading to a reduction in demand for manganese ore. Traders in the overall domestic manganese iron ore market are generally pessimistic on the prospects for the market trend in the coming period. Market demand is expected to remain weak in the coming period.