China: Silico manganese output hovers high in Sep’25

• Lower hydropower prices during rainy season boost output
• Robust production spurs inventory build, weakens prices

Mysteel: Total production of silico manganese (SiMn) in China hovered high in September, with the total tonnage reaching 898,405 tonne (t), according to Mysteel’s latest monthly survey of the 187 Chinese SiMn smelters it tracks. Last month’s total was still high, though the volume had dipped by 10,845 t or 1.2% from the 13-month high reached in August, the data show. A market source suggested the dip reflected the fact that September has one day less than August.

The sampled smelters host 99% of China’s SiMn smelting capacity. On a daily basis last month, SiMn output among the sampled smelters averaged 29,946 t/day, rising by 616 t/d or 2.1% m-o-m, the survey results showed.

Last month, SiMn output in Southwest China’s Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan increased by varying degrees, as lower hydropower prices during the rainy season allowed local smelters to reduce their smelting costs, encouraging the makers to keep their run rates high, Mysteel Global learned.

The buoyant production last month led inventories of the ferro alloy held by the domestic SiMn smelters to accumulate, with the total tonnage among the 63 sampled smelters nationwide under Mysteel’s regular tracking reaching 233,800 t by the end of September, soaring by 84,800 t from end-August. These smelters represent about 80% of China’s total SiMn smelting capacity.

China’s SiMn prices weakened in late September after recovering earlier in the month, as market sentiment softened with the retreat seen in the futures market, Mysteel Global noted.

On 30 September, Mysteel assessed national prices of 6517 SiMn at RMB 5,663/t ($795/t), including 13% VAT, down by RMB 21/t from the end of August. The most-traded SiMn contract on the Zhengzhou Futures Exchange for delivery in January 2026 closed the daytime trading session on 30 September at RMB 5,758/t, lower by RMB 28/t from the contract’s settlement price on 29 August, according to the exchange’s data.

For this month, China’s SiMn output is likely to increase slightly with the expectation of high operating rates of smelters in northern China and the planned commissioning of new smelting furnaces.