According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, China's imports of copper ore and copper concentrates in April 2026 totaled 2.352 million mt in physical content, down 19.57% YoY. Cumulative imports from January to April reached 9.915 million mt in physical content, down 0.8% compared to the same period last year. Since December 2020, China's cumulative YoY growth in copper concentrates imports had remained positive, making this the first decline in over five years.

According to data from the online query platform of the General Administration of Customs, China's imports of copper ore and concentrates in March 2026 totaled 2,629,996.23 mt, up 13.84% MoM and 9.99% YoY. Shipments from major supplying countries such as Chile, Peru, and Mongolia all increased to varying degrees. However, spot copper concentrate TCs in China remained at low levels, and the tight ore supply situation continued. Below is the supply breakdown from major source countries for China's copper ore imports since March 2020: Data source: General Administration of Customs (Wenhua Composite)

General Administration of Customs: In February 2026, China imported 2.31 million dmt of copper ore and concentrate, a decrease of 11.97% month-on-month and an increase of 5.84% year-on-year. The cumulative imports in January-February increased by 4.9%.

General Administration of Customs: In January 2026, China imported 2.624 million dmt of copper ores and concentrates, a decrease of 2.96% month-on-month and an increase of 3.72% year-on-year.

[SMM Analysis: Reshaping Cu Cons Trade Flows: China's New Raw Material Strategy Landscape Amid Geopolitical Chessboard] According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China imported 2.704 million dmt of copper ore and concentrates in December 2025, a month-on-month increase of 7% and a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. From January to December, China’s cumulative imports of copper ore and concentrates reached 30.365 million dmt, a cumulative year-on-year increase of 7.8%.

General Administration of Customs: In December 2025, China imported 2.704 million physical tons of copper ore and concentrates, an increase of 7% month-on-month and 7.2% year-on-year. From January to December, China’s cumulative imports of copper ore and concentrates reached 30.365 million physical tons, representing a cumulative year-on-year increase of 7.8%.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs online query platform, China's imports of copper ore and its concentrates in November 2025 were 2,526,194.63 mt, up 3.05% MoM and 13.13% YoY. Among them, shipments from Peru surged by nearly 30% to 852,529 mt, replacing Chile as the largest supplier for the month. Shipments from Chile fell by around 8% to 704,596 mt, and shipments from Mongolia, the third-largest supplier, also declined. The following shows the supply situation of China's major import sources of copper ore since March 2020: Data source: General Administration of Customs (Comprehensive report by Wen Hua)

General Administration of Customs: In November 2025, China imported 2.526 million physical tons of copper ore and its concentrates, an increase of 3% month-on-month and 12.5% year-on-year. From January to November, China's cumulative imports of copper ore and its concentrates reached 27.614 million physical tons, representing a cumulative year-on-year increase of 8%.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs online query platform, China's imports of copper ore and its concentrates in October 2025 were 2.45 million mt, down 5.24% MoM but up 6.08% YoY. Among them, major supplying countries such as Chile, Peru, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan saw their deliveries rebound to varying degrees MoM, while supplies from other source countries mostly declined. Currently, spot copper concentrate TCs hover around -$40/dmt, and the tight ore supply situation remains difficult to alleviate significantly. The following shows the supply situation of China's major import sources of copper ore since March 2020: Data source: General Administration of Customs (Comprehensive Wen Hua)

According to data from the General Administration of Customs online query platform, China's imports of copper ore and its concentrates in September were 2.5869 million mt, down 6.24% MoM but up 6.43% YoY. Shipments from the largest supplier, Chile, plunged over 30% to 649,400 mt, while shipments from Peru edged up to 590,000 mt. Major suppliers such as Mexico and Mongolia saw varying degrees of increase in their shipments. An accident occurred at the El Teniente mine, owned by Chile's Codelco, at the end of July, impacting Chile's overall copper production. There have been numerous disruptions in the copper ore supply this year, keeping spot copper concentrate TCs in China persistently low. The following shows the supply situation of China's major import sources of copper ore since March 2020: Data source: General Administration of Customs