2025 China Graphite Materials Export Trends: January to June Overview
Aug 14, 2025
Introduction
As global demand for graphite materials continues to rise, especially in industries such as batteries and energy storage, staying updated on graphite export trends becomes crucial. SHJ CARBON, a leader in providing graphite and carbon-based material solutions, keeps a close eye on market shifts. Our goal is to offer clients accurate and timely insights to support informed purchasing decisions. In this blog, we'll break down the export trends for natural graphite and synthetic graphite in the first half of 2025, providing key market data to help buyers identify new opportunities.
Natural Graphite Export Analysis
Overall Market Performance
From January to June 2025, the total export volume of natural graphite materials reached 97,700 tons, reflecting a 5.9% increase compared to the previous year. Among different types of natural graphite, flake graphite saw impressive growth, increasing by 63.07% to 41,200 tons. However, exports of powder or flake natural graphite dropped by 46.22%, totaling 6,159.29 tons. In contrast, spheroidized natural graphite exports increased by 47.1%, reaching 28,100 tons, while other forms of natural graphite saw a decrease of 38.98%, amounting to 22,200 tons.
Key Export Markets
According to the latest data from Chinese Customs, the top three export destinations for natural graphite materials in June 2025 were:
- Japan: 7,504.78 tons
- South Korea: 2,009.82 tons
- Indonesia: 928.05 tons
In the first half of 2025, the top importing countries for natural graphite were:
Japan: 33,400 tons (34.2% of total exports), a 28.8% decline compared to last year. Japan mainly imports other forms of natural graphite.
Indonesia: 20,500 tons (21.0% of total exports), showing a staggering 1,746.0% increase from the previous year, mainly driven by flake graphite and spheroidized natural graphite.
South Korea: 17,800 tons (18.3% of total exports), a 13.8% increase, primarily importing spheroidized and flake natural graphite.
Major Exporting Regions
For the first half of 2025, the leading provinces in China exporting natural graphite materials were:
- Shandong: 37,800 tons (38.7% of total exports), a 29.8% increase from last year, mainly exporting flake natural graphite.
- Guangdong: 30,600 tons (31.4% of total exports), showing a 23.8% decrease, with a focus on spheroidized and flake natural graphite.
- Hunan: 15,700 tons (16.1% of total exports), showing a 9.4% growth, mainly exporting other types of natural graphite.
Synthetic Graphite Export Analysis
Overall Market Performance
From January to June 2025, the total export volume of synthetic graphite materials was 304,900 tons, reflecting a 7.8% decline compared to last year. Among synthetic graphite materials, the export of surface-treated spheroidized graphite decreased by 32.49%, totaling 27,900 tons. Colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite exports fell by 15.7%, reaching 119.73 tons, while other forms of synthetic graphite showed a modest decline of 4.26%, amounting to 276,900 tons.
Key Export Markets
For the first half of 2025, the top three export destinations for synthetic graphite materials were:
- Netherlands: 7,942.38 tons
- Japan: 6,942.99 tons
- India: 6,586.03 tons
The leading countries importing synthetic graphite materials from January to June 2025 were:
India: 42,500 tons (13.9% of total exports), experiencing a 37.0% increase compared to last year. This growth is primarily in synthetic graphite products.
Japan: 40,400 tons (13.2% of total exports), showing a slight decrease of 0.4%.
USA: 31,600 tons (10.4% of total exports), reflecting a significant 45.1% drop from the previous year.
Major Exporting Regions
In the first half of 2025, the leading provinces in China that exported synthetic graphite were:
- Guangdong: 81,200 tons (26.6% of total exports), showing a 48.6% decrease from last year.
- Shandong: 37,200 tons (12.2% of total exports), with a 0.4% increase compared to last year.
- Shanghai: 28,500 tons (9.4% of total exports), seeing a 36.5% increase from last year.
Conclusion
The first half of 2025 has shown clear trends in both natural graphite and synthetic graphite exports. Natural graphite materials saw notable growth, especially in markets like Indonesia and South Korea, driven by the increasing demand for flake graphite and spheroidized natural graphite. In contrast, synthetic graphite materials saw a decline, particularly in the U.S., which indicates a shift in market demand in the energy and battery sectors.
For procurement professionals, staying updated on these market trends is essential for making strategic decisions. SHJ CARBON continues to provide tailored graphite material solutions to help clients navigate these changes and remain competitive.
