Sulfuric‑acid export curbs

China is preparing to stop sulfuric acid exports from May, tightening a chemical market that feeds metals and fertilizer plants already hit by war-linked supply shocks. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported on April 10 that some Chinese producers had received notice of the change and that at least one large buyer had been told by its supplier that exports would halt next month. Shanghai Metals Market reported the same move on April 12, saying the cutoff would start in May. (bloomberg.com) (news.metal.com) Aluminum prices were already climbing on Gulf supply fears before the sulfuric acid story spread. Bloomberg said London Metal Exchange aluminum settled at $3,607.50 a metric ton on April 13, a four-year high, while Reuters said three-month aluminum had risen as much as 4% the prior week to $3,536 a ton. (bloomberg.com) (marketscreener.com) Sulfuric acid is one of the chemical industry’s biggest bulk products, used in fertilizer, metal processing and petroleum refining. When exports tighten, buyers that normally treat it as a low-cost industrial input have to compete harder for supply. (britannica.com) Aluminum is made in two big steps: bauxite ore is refined into alumina, then alumina is smelted into metal in electrolytic cells. Britannica describes the smelting stage as the Hall-Héroult process, and industry references say about two tonnes of alumina are needed for one tonne of aluminum. (britannica.com) (alcircle.com) The immediate aluminum rally is tied more directly to the Middle East than to sulfuric acid alone. Reuters said U.S. Midwest physical premiums touched $1.12 per pound last week, matching a record, as traders priced in disrupted shipments from producers in the Gulf. (marketscreener.com) For South Korea, the worry is that one chemical squeeze could spill into another. Seoul Economic Daily reported on March 25 that Qatar accounts for about 30% of global helium supply and that South Korea sources 65% of its helium imports from Qatar, making chipmakers exposed when gas flows are disrupted. (en.sedaily.com) Bromine is another pressure point for Korean industry. Observatory of Economic Complexity trade data show South Korea imported $3.75 million of fluorine and bromine products in 2024, with $3.72 million coming from Israel, a concentration that leaves little cushion when the region is under strain. (oec.world) South Korea’s trade exposure is large enough that any new raw-material disruption lands in a much bigger export machine. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said March exports reached a record $86.13 billion, with semiconductor shipments topping $30 billion for the first time. (en.sedaily.com) China has not yet posted a public customs or commerce notice on the pages surfaced in search, so the market is trading on supplier notifications and industry reporting rather than a published decree. If those notices turn into a formal May ban, buyers of aluminum feedstocks and chipmaking gases will be competing in an even tighter chemicals market. (customs.gov.cn) (english.mofcom.gov.cn)