South Africa's Exports of Chromium Ores and Concentrates Dropped by 20% to $1.1B (in 2014, Yoy)

Despite a 20% drop in exports in 2014 compared to the previous year, South Africa continued its dominance in the global chromium ores and concentrates trade. In 2014, South Africa exported 7.0 million tonnes of chromium ores and concentrates totaling 1.1 billion USD. Its primary trading partner was China, where it supplied 61.8% of its total chromium ores and concentrates exports in value terms, accounting for 36.2% of China's total imports.

From 2007 to 2014, South Africa was a net exporter of chromium ores and concentrates. Over this period, exports consistently exceeded imports in value terms. The difference in physical terms was even more pronounced.

Turkey and Kazakhstan were among the other main global suppliers of chromium ores and concentrates in 2014. However, the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2014 were the Netherlands (+20.7% per year) and Germany (+18.1% per year).

In 2014, South Africa's top 5 trading partners were China, Mozambique, Switzerland, the U.S. and India, with a combined 78.2% share of South Africa's chromium ores and concentrates exports. The share of Mozambique increased (+5.0 percentage points), while the share of China illustrated negative dynamics (-9.3 percentage points).

Source: World: Chromium Ores And Concentrates - Market Report. Analysis and Forecast to 2020