According to India’s custom data, India has increased its graphite electrode exports by around 50 percent in the January-October 2017 period compared to the same period the previous year. During the first 10 months of 2017, India exported 64,379 mt in graphite electrodes. Of that total, 11,337 mt (18 percent) were exported to Iran, 6,654 mt (10 percent) to Egypt, 6,652 mt (10 percent) to Turkey, 5,989 mt (9 percent) to the US, 4,672 mt (7 percent) to Saudi Arabia and 29,076 (45 percent) to other destinations.
The increase in export demand is attributed to the closure of steel capacities in China leading to the decline in exports of both steel and graphite electrodes from the region. The decline in exports from China led to a rise in steel production through the EAF’s globally.