China to stop sulfuric acid exports

China has told producers it will stop exporting sulfuric acid from May, tightening supply for miners, fertilizer makers and chip manufacturers. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported on April 10 that some Chinese producers had received notices about the change, and one large buyer had been told by its supplier that the halt starts in May. Argus Media first reported the move, and Bloomberg said the restriction could last through 2026. (bloomberg.com) The ban covers sulfuric acid made as a byproduct of copper and zinc smelting in China, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. Chile buys more than 1 million tons of Chinese sulfuric acid a year, and prices there had already surged before the export halt surfaced. (bloomberg.com) Sulfuric acid is one of the basic chemicals behind phosphate fertilizer, copper extraction and some semiconductor cleaning steps. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says phosphate fertilizer plants use sulfuric acid to make phosphoric acid, and SEMI maintains a sulfuric acid specification for chipmaking. (epa.gov, semi.org) In copper mining, sulfuric acid works like a solvent that pulls metal out of ore. A 2025 technical review in Springer said copper smelters also produce sulfuric acid as a byproduct, tying the acid market directly to the metals industry. (springer.com) China was not a marginal supplier before this. SMM said China produced 110.82 million tons of sulfuric acid in 2025, consumed 106.81 million tons at home and exported 4.12 million tons, while SunSirs said December 2025 exports alone reached 525,000 tons, a recent monthly record. (metal.com, sunsirs.com) Trade data show how concentrated some buyers have become. SMM reported that in the first two months of 2025, Chile took more than one-quarter of China’s sulfuric acid exports, while Indonesia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia each imported more than 100,000 metric tons. (metal.com) The export halt lands after months of tighter Chinese control over strategic materials. CNBC reported on March 31 that Beijing had already called for tighter sulfuric acid export limits in December 2025, alongside broader restrictions on other niche commodities. (cnbc.com) Beijing has not publicly detailed the policy in an official statement that Bloomberg could confirm, and China’s Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment. For buyers in Chile, Congo and Zambia, the next test is whether May cargoes are canceled or rerouted before spot prices move again. (bloomberg.com)