China Aluminium Alloy Exports: Korea & Japan
Aluminium customs data
Explore unwrought aluminium-alloy trade
Compare HS 760120 import and export values with the article’s dated weight-based research.
Aluminium-alloy imports
Compare flows for the same product and period.
HS 76 aluminium category
Broader chapter context.
API documentation
Use the public JSON endpoints behind the charts and tables.
China Critical Minerals & Battery Materials Trade Data
Current monthly industry trade figures, commodities and destination research.
China's unwrought aluminium-alloy export volume rose 77.6% year on year in August 2026, and January–August exports doubled. Imports moved differently over the cumulative period. South Korea's sharp increase is a destination-level research lead, rather than proof that every aluminium product or market expanded equally.
Reviewed October 2, 2026 · Volume edition: August 2026. Physical quantities below are GACC figures reported by SMM. Start with HS 760120 exports and imports for published customs values.
Export growth alongside a cumulative import decline
| Measure | Volume | Comparable change |
|---|---|---|
| August exports | About 51,600 tonnes | +77.6% YoY; −11.9% from July |
| August imports | About 71,500 tonnes | +0.2% YoY; +19.5% from July |
| January–August exports | About 348,700 tonnes | +100.1% YoY |
| January–August imports | About 564,900 tonnes | −17.4% YoY |
Source: SMM, September 20, 2026. Imports weakened year to date, not in August's monthly comparison. August export growth also did not make China a net exporter of this product by weight: imports still exceeded exports. The rounded export/import ratio was approximately 0.72 for August and 0.62 for January–August.
South Korea's increase and Japan's larger absolute market
SMM's destination table reports 8,442.08 tonnes to South Korea, up 985.42% year on year, versus 23,491.77 tonnes to Japan, up 36.53%. Korea represented approximately 16.36% of the table's 51,605.23-tonne export total; Japan represented about 45.52%. These are weight shares, not USD shares.
A very large percentage does not establish the largest market or the largest incremental contribution. Compare the prior-year denominator and absolute change before ranking destination anomalies. The growth rate is a reason to inspect Korea's series, not sufficient evidence of a new industrial end use or a diversion caused by tariffs.
What unwrought aluminium alloys mean
HS 760120 identifies the alloy part of unwrought aluminium. It should not stand in for all aluminium exports, fabricated profiles, sheets, foil, conductors or non-alloyed unwrought metal. Use the HS76 aluminium category for chapter context and the alumina trade analysis for an upstream processing stage.
The Critical Minerals & Battery Materials Hub connects upstream materials with processing and downstream supply-chain research.
Calculate ratios and country shares consistently
For a selected month, divide exports by imports only when both observations use the same unit and the import denominator is positive. For a country share, divide that country's exports by the corresponding global total for the same product and period. Specify whether the result is based on tonnes or USD.
The inspected product release provides USD values with missing quantities. Consequently, this article's reported weight ratios and shares are a dated source-based analysis, not automatically generated measurements from that USD release. Missing physical observations must not become zeroes, and a top-five partner preview cannot establish every country's year-on-year change.
Next research step
Open the HS 760120 product pages, choose the required trade direction and compare consistent months. Request an aluminium-alloy extract specifying Korea, Japan, export/import flows and separate tonnes/USD fields. The API documentation describes access options.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Korean surge make South Korea China's largest alloy destination? No. Japan's reported August tonnage remained larger. Growth rates and market shares answer different questions.
Was China a net exporter of unwrought aluminium alloys? The reported August and January–August weight totals still show more imports than exports.
Is HS 760120 all Chinese aluminium trade? No. It covers unwrought alloys, excluding many fabricated aluminium products and non-alloyed unwrought metal.
Source credits: SMM's unwrought aluminium-alloy summary and country customs table, September 20, 2026; GACC is the reported statistical source. Ratios and destination weight shares are ChinaData calculations from those dated observations.