Chinese Bauxite Demand Drives Dry Bulk Market Growth

China’s surging appetite for bauxite is reshaping the dry bulk trade, with record imports in 2025 highlighting the growing role of large carriers.

From January through August, Chinese ports discharged 145.2m tonnes of the aluminium ore - 26% more than the same period last year - according to AXSMarine vessel tracking data. The figure is 30m tonnes higher than in 2024 and marks the strongest start ever for this trade.

Guinea continues to dominate as China’s main supplier, delivering 137.5m tonnes so far this year and accounting for 77% of the total. Australia contributed 30.5m tonnes, or 17%, while smaller volumes came from Guyana, Turkey, Sierra Leone, and other exporters across West Africa, South America, and Asia.

The long-distance haul from Guinea has amplified bauxite’s role in tonne-mile demand. Ursa Shipbrokers reported that the commodity’s share of global dry bulk tonne miles has risen from just 2% in 2015 to 8.5% this year, underscoring its growing importance to capesize employment.

Over the past decade, China’s bauxite imports have nearly tripled, rising from 57.2m tonnes in 2015 to 170.8m tonnes in 2024. Apart from brief dips in 2016 and 2021 during the pandemic, volumes have grown steadily alongside the country’s expanding aluminium industry.

“This expansion has been one of the most notable cargo growth stories for the dry bulk sector, underpinned by China’s vast aluminium smelting capacity and heavy reliance on imported bauxite,” analysts at Ursa said.

On the production front, China’s smelters turned out 3.8m tonnes of primary aluminium in August, matching record monthly highs set earlier this year. Total output for the first eight months reached 29.4m tonnes, up 2.3% compared to 2024.

The International Aluminium Institute reported that China produced 43.4m tonnes of primary aluminium in 2024—over 15 times more than in 2000. With electric vehicles and construction continuing to drive demand, the bauxite trade is now one of the most dynamic growth stories in dry bulk shipping.