Kazakhstan's Ferroalloy Exports To South Korea Fall 54% In Jan-Aug

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 29. Kazakhstan's ferroalloy exports to South Korea fell by 54% year-on-year in volume terms in January-August 2026, totaling 22,518 tonnes compared with 48,906 tonnes in the same period of 2025, according to Trend's calculations based on data from the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan.

In value terms, exports to South Korea decreased by 51.5% year-on-year to $31.32 million from $64.60 million in the first eight months of 2025.

In August 2026, Kazakhstan shipped 758 tonnes of ferroalloys to South Korea, worth $1.18 million.

Overall, Kazakhstan exported 1.05 million tonnes of ferroalloys in January-August 2026, down 16.8% from 1.26 million tonnes in the same period of 2025. In value terms, total ferroalloy exports decreased by 6.16% year-on-year to $1.36 billion from $1.45 billion.

China remained the largest destination for Kazakh ferroalloys, importing 631,220 tonnes worth $704.5 million in the first eight months of 2026. Japan ranked second, with imports of 127,485 tonnes valued at $213.2 million.

Other major destinations by export value included the United States, which received 72,179 tonnes worth $135.7 million; Germany, with 28,042 tonnes worth $53.5 million; Russia, with 37,759 tonnes worth $47.7 million; Italy, with 20,716 tonnes worth $33.5 million; and South Korea, with 22,518 tonnes worth $31.3 million. Indonesia, Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were also among the main buyers.

In August 2026, Kazakhstan exported 102,127 tonnes of ferroalloys worth $145.49 million in total.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover reached $102.96 billion in January-August 2026, up 12.8% in nominal terms compared with the same period of 2025.

Exports totaled $60.39 billion, an increase of 19.5% in nominal terms, while imports reached $42.57 billion, up 4.5%.

Crude oil and crude oil products obtained from bituminous minerals accounted for 49.8% of Kazakhstan's exports in January-August 2026. Other major export commodities included refined copper and unwrought copper alloys (6.4%), radioactive chemical elements and radioactive isotopes (5.1%), copper ores and concentrates (4.4%), and ferroalloys (2.2%).

Passenger cars and other motor vehicles accounted for the largest share of imports, at 3.3%. Other major imported commodities included telephone equipment (2.7%), pharmaceutical products (2.5%), petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons (2.4%), and electric generating sets and rotary converters (2.2%).

Italy was Kazakhstan's largest export destination, accounting for 18% of total exports. China ranked second at 17.6%, followed by Russia (8.5%), Türkiye (7.9%), France (6.1%) and the Netherlands (5.9%).

Russia was Kazakhstan's largest import partner, accounting for 31% of total imports. China ranked second at 29.8%, followed by Germany (4.6%), the United States (3.9%), South Korea (2.5%) and Türkiye (2.1%).

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