China Alumina Trade: Imports, Exports & Net Balance

China's alumina trade changed direction in August 2026: reported exports of 425,003 tonnes exceeded imports of 349,531 tonnes, producing about 75,472 tonnes of net exports. July had been a net-import month. This is a monthly reversal; the January–August cumulative position remained net imports.

Analysis reviewed October 2, 2026 · Volume edition: August 2026. The physical quantities below are GACC figures reported by SMM. Open HS 281820 imports and exports for published customs-value data. Monthly USD values and tonne balances are separate measures.

China alumina imports, exports and net trade

July values are derived estimates, not independently downloaded observations: August imports divided by 0.9535 and exports divided by 1.3942, using SMM's rounded −4.65% and +39.42% monthly changes. This implies an approximately 137,217-tonne swing in the monthly balance. Rounded growth rates limit the precision of the reconstruction.

Open the full-size alumina chart.

August export volume rose 135.78% year on year; imports rose 270.43%. Both flows growing rapidly is compatible with a change in net direction. A year's cumulative classification can also differ from the latest month's classification.

Russia and Oman exports; Australia and Indonesia imports

Direction	Country	August reported tonnes
Export destination	Russia	227,770.67
Export destination	Oman	116,988.19
Import origin	Australia	202,498.94
Import origin	Indonesia	142,068.69

Source: SMM's August customs tables. These country weights are not a USD-value ranking. Oman's unusually large reported percentage change has a small prior-year denominator; absolute tonnes are the more useful first comparison.

What HS 281820 includes

The customs definition of HS 281820 is aluminium oxide other than artificial corundum. Keep alumina separate from bauxite, refined aluminium and unwrought aluminium alloys. They represent different processing stages and should not be added together as interchangeable tonnage.

Explore related processing stages through the Critical Minerals & Battery Materials Hub. The inorganic-chemicals category provides the HS chapter context.

Define net trade before labelling a country

For an exact product and period, subtract imports from exports in one unit. A positive result is net exports; a negative result is net imports; equal complete observations are balanced. If either flow or its unit is missing, the status is unavailable. Maintain separate labels for monthly volume, year-to-date volume and USD value.

A net-trade label needs a declared unit, product scope and period. China's position can differ between the latest month and the year to date. The currently available product data does not supply the quantities needed to automatically refresh this physical balance.

Continue the country-by-month study

Use the product links to compare identical months and flows. Request an alumina trade extract with Russia, Oman, Australia and Indonesia, requesting tonnes and USD separately. For access formats, see API documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Was China a net alumina exporter in August 2026? Yes, by the reported monthly physical quantities. That does not change the separate January–August net-import position.

Which HS code covers alumina trade? HS 281820 covers aluminium oxide other than artificial corundum. Check the full definition and trade direction when extracting records.

Can USD trade balance confirm the tonne balance? They measure different things. Prices and product mix affect USD values; calculate each balance in its own unit.

Source credits: GACC customs statistics as reported in SMM's August alumina trade tables, September 2026. July reconstruction and net-balance calculations: ChinaData.