China Copper Cathode Imports & Exports
Referenced evidence
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Current published trade snapshot
Copper cathode imports ยท 2026-08 ยท GACC customs USD ยท Release 2026-10-07T075120Z
- Monthly import value
- $2.93B
- Same-month YoY
- +13.1%
- Observed trend window
- 2025-01 โ 2026-08
| Product | Monthly USD | YoY | MoM | YTD YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper cathode imports | $2.93B | +13.1% | -10.9% | +16.9% |
| Copper cathode exports | $698.34M | +95.0% | +50.6% | +21.0% |
- Net exports ยท USD (exports โ imports)
- โ$2.23B
- Import-to-export value ratio
- 4.20ร
- Copper cathode imports ยท HS 740311
- Copper cathode exports ยท HS 740311
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View monthly values
| Month | Copper cathode imports (USD) | Copper cathode exports (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-01 | 2,443,672,682 | 152,363,403 |
| 2025-02 | 2,522,424,621 | 245,038,639 |
| 2025-03 | 2,990,289,173 | 647,314,106 |
| 2025-04 | 2,389,888,732 | 728,579,081 |
| 2025-05 | 2,442,677,092 | 320,205,562 |
| 2025-06 | 2,938,232,775 | 763,871,841 |
| 2025-07 | 2,920,878,393 | 1,168,579,773 |
| 2025-08 | 2,591,092,242 | 358,154,451 |
| 2025-09 | 3,326,016,163 | 258,191,305 |
| 2025-10 | 2,947,097,624 | 673,932,620 |
| 2025-11 | 2,936,595,622 | 1,530,827,291 |
| 2025-12 | 2,936,512,253 | 1,086,687,066 |
| 2026-01 | 2,556,367,498 | 1,144,851,744 |
| 2026-02 | 1,978,263,289 | 1,009,806,018 |
| 2026-03 | 2,996,019,400 | 752,086,232 |
| 2026-04 | 3,435,964,994 | 322,628,234 |
| 2026-05 | 3,776,898,595 | 260,310,305 |
| 2026-06 | 3,855,172,907 | 651,165,319 |
| 2026-07 | 3,291,125,797 | 463,668,796 |
| 2026-08 | 2,931,156,099 | 698,335,675 |
Leading reported suppliers ยท Copper cathode imports ยท 2026-08
| Partner | USD value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | $968.91M | 33.1% |
| China | $664.17M | 22.7% |
| Russia | $258.45M | 8.8% |
| Kazakhstan | $150.58M | 5.1% |
| Chile | $150.47M | 5.1% |
Leading reported destinations ยท Copper cathode exports ยท 2026-08
| Partner | USD value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $251.99M | 36.1% |
| Taiwan | $129.75M | 18.6% |
| Thailand | $97.21M | 13.9% |
| Hong Kong | $94.83M | 13.6% |
| Indonesia | $46.14M | 6.6% |
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The snapshot refreshes after a promoted release and site rebuild. The dated analysis below remains tied to its stated source period. USD values do not establish physical quantities or AI end use. Country series use complete, checksum-verified partner partitions reconciled to global USD totals. Missing partner rows remain unavailable; recorded zeroes remain zero. Partner previews state their own month; an omitted partner is not zero.
China's copper cathode trade needs imports and exports on the same product definition and month. The snapshot above compares HS 740311: cathodes and sections of cathodes of refined copper, unwrought, with monthly USD values, growth and net exports.
An export rebound can coexist with a trade deficit
In the audited release 2026-09-21T093840Z, August 2026 copper cathode imports were USD 1,692,306,497 and exports were USD 657,130,954. Exports rose 83.5% year on year, while import value fell 34.7%. China still recorded net imports by value: exports minus imports were โUSD 1,035,175,543.
The import-to-export ratio is a ratio of customs values, not tonnes. Net imports in physical weight could differ because import and export unit values may differ. A strong monthly export growth rate also says nothing about the annual cumulative direction until both complete January-to-month windows have been compared.
July import value was USD 3,134,969,553 and export value USD 463,668,796. Comparing these observations with August makes the monthly change visible without substituting the refined-copper industry's broader shipment-weight estimate for the narrower displayed value series.
Refined copper is not the entire unwrought-copper heading
HS 7403 includes refined copper and copper alloys. Calling every row under that heading refined copper would bring brass, bronze and other alloys into the comparison. Cathodes and their sections are one specific refined-copper subheading; wire-bars, billets and other unwrought refined-copper forms have separate definitions.
This page therefore presents a cathode study rather than an invented all-refined-copper total. Its import and export series use the same HS6 scope, with no parent-child double counting. Request a reviewed multi-product scope when a broader refined-copper study is needed.
Partner markets add context
DR Congo was the leading reported August supplier by value, with 57.3% of cathode imports. The United States was the leading reported export destination, with 38.3% of export value. Those shares describe customs partners, not mine origin or ultimate industrial use.
A country absent from the partner preview is not a zero shipment. The chart leaves missing months as gaps, preserves recorded zero values and calculates YTD only when both annual windows are complete. These rules matter when evaluating a rebound or a turning point.
Connect processing stages without combining them
Explore copper cathode imports and exports, the separate refined copper wire comparison and the grid equipment section. Ore, cathodes and wire describe different processing stages; customs data does not prove that imported ore became a particular exported shipment or that wire growth came from EVs or data centres.
Source: GACC published customs trade release. Analysis edition: October 8, 2026. Dated figures stay tied to the audited release; the snapshot refreshes after a promoted release and site rebuild.