The impact of Turkey earthquake on China's graphite electrode export

On February 6, Turkey experienced two 7.8-magnitude earthquakes in one day, with a focal depth of 20 km, and sustained aftershocks, which were felt by many countries, making it the strongest earthquake to hit the region in a century.  

The epicenter of this strong earthquake is located in the southeast of Turkey, near the north of Syria. At present, more than 3000 people have died and thousands of houses have collapsed in Turkey and Syria. It is reported that the earthquake caused explosion and fire in two sections of the natural gas pipeline in Hatai Province, Turkey. Many large steel manufacturers were distributed around the epicenter, including Isdemir, Tosellik, MMK Metalurji, Ekincler, Koc Metalurj and Basthhug Metalurji. Some steel plants are expected to shut down due to road damage and heavy snow, disrupting steel production and transportation.

Turkey earthquake may affect China's graphite electrode exports, Turkey is one of the major exporters of China's graphite electrode. In 2022, China's graphite electrode export to Turkey was 26273.08 tons, accounting for 7.65% of China's total graphite electrode export.

In the past five years, the export of graphite electrodes from China to Turkey has seen a rapid growth in 2019 and 2021, and there may be a significant growth in 2023 compared with 2022. In terms of the proportion of annual purchasing volume from February to March, the proportion in the last two years has increased significantly, reaching 25.38% in 2022. In short, Turkey earthquake has had significant impact on China's graphite electrode export, and 5% of the production may be transferred to China mainland market. For more data analysis of China's graphite electrode export, feel free to contact us.