Manganese Market Update (December 20, 2012)

European prices for ferromanganese and silicomanganese have been mostly flat in the past month. Ferromanganese with 78-percent metal content is currently trading between 860 and 880 euros per metric ton, while silicomanganese prices are between 890 and 910 euros.

Silicomanganese is mainly used in construction steels, while most ferromanganese goes into flat steels that are used to make automobiles.

This week, the Chinese government released its 2013 export tax list, which exempted manganese, along with magnesium and silicon, according to Metal-Pages. Other metals, including vanadium, tungsten, molybdenum and chromium, will be subject to the tax. The levy, which is around 20 percent, is aimed at keeping more of these metals for domestic use and protecting the environment.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s mining output declined 7.7 percent in October compared to October 2011. That was mainly because crippling mining strikes cut gold output by 45.7 percent. However, the country’s manganese production also fell 2.9 percent, according to Reuters. South Africa is the world’s leading manganese producer.