In 2025, North American magnesium supply remained regionally differentiated: the USA relied mainly on Israel and Türkiye for pure magnesium, while South Korea dominated alloy supply, whereas Canada remained almost entirely dependent on China for both pure metal and alloys. US alloy imports grew strongly, while powder imports declined, and scrap imports increased significantly in both the USA and Canada, confirming the growing role of secondary magnesium flows in the North American market.

The EU30 magnesium market remained strongly import-dependent, with China continuing to dominate supply across all major magnesium product categories at shares above 95%. Pure magnesium imports remained broadly stable in the absence of European primary production, while magnesium alloy imports showed moderate growth and powder imports also remained highly concentrated on Chinese supply. At the same time, magnesium scrap exports increased significantly, mainly to the USA.

In 2025, China exported a total of 443,000 metric tonnes of magnesium products, with pure magnesium exports declining moderately while magnesium alloy exports continued to grow.

Download & Read the Q4 2025 Report

The Global Magnesium Trade Flow Report is a quarterly member-exclusive publication from the International Magnesium Association. It provides a global snapshot of magnesium import and export activity-covering primary magnesium, alloys, powders, and scrap across major regions including North America, Europe, Asia, and China. Designed to deliver actionable industry insights, the report helps members track market trends, monitor sourcing shifts, and stay informed on global trade dynamics in the magnesium sector.

Magnesium Trade – Q3 2025 Overview

Europe:

•  EU imports in Q3 2025 declined by 12.7% year on year, with China’s share (excluding scrap) decreasing to around 90%.
•  Pure magnesium imports, where no European production exists, totaled 18,300 metric tonnes, representing a 28.7% YoY decline, while imports from Israel reached 1,702 metric tonnes.
• Magnesium alloy consumption weakened again in Q3 2025 after two quarters of growth, declining by 6.1% within the EU and 5.8% including Norway and Switzerland, with 98.6% of EU alloy imports sourced from China.
• Magnesium powder imports rebounded by 7.3% to 6,450 tonnes, with China maintaining a 96% market share.
• The EU exported 2,050 tonnes of magnesium scrap, mainly to the United States, marking a 14.5% YoY decline, while Tunisia emerged as a new scrap import source, supplying 300 tonnes.

USA + Canada + Mexico:

• Due to the lack of U.S. import data, only Canada and Mexico are included in the North American comparison.

China:

• Total Chinese exports reached 116,665 metric tonnes in Q3 2025, with pure magnesium exports up 21.8% YoY and magnesium alloy exports down 0.5% YoY.
•  In July, the main Chinese export destinations were Europe (via the Netherlands) at 20.4% and India at 11.1%, while magnesium alloy exports were led by Europe (23.8%) and Canada (9.6%).
• Magnesium powder exports were mainly shipped to Canada, Europe (via the Netherlands), and Türkiye, with Canada accounting for more than 30% in July.
• Chinese magnesium scrap exports declined to approximately 4,500 metric tonnes in Q3 2025.

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SMM Q4 Report: Reviewing China’s Magnesium Market Supply, Demand, and Outlook in 2024

3 April 2024
8AM CDT | 9AM EDT | 3PM CEST | 9PM China

Dear @@first_name@@,

IMA members are invited to join us as we review the SMM produced 2023 Q4 Report of China's magnesium industry, with our exclusive webinar on April 3, 2024.

Strategic Magnesium Minerals (SMM) and the International Magnesium Association (IMA) are excited to invite you to a dynamic discussion where SMM will review the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in China's magnesium market, as outlined in the 2023 Q4 report. As part of our partnership, SMM delivers quarterly reports on China's magnesium industry to IMA members via our website, offering unparalleled insights.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and connect with industry peers.

Questions? Please reach out to IMA Vice President, Andrew Spear, at andrew.spear@intlmag.org

Appointment of Rose Eaton as America's Representative

The International Magnesium Association (IMA) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Rose Eaton as America's Representative. As Associate Publisher for Light Metal Age and Vendor Administrator for Electric Forest, Rose brings a wealth of experience and passion for the industry to her new role at the IMA.

The IMA will greatly benefit from Rose's extensive background in marketing, media relations, and event coordination. During her tenure at Light Metal Age, Rose has been instrumental in representing the publication at international trade shows, where she cultivated and nurtured relationships within the industry. She demonstrates her journalistic acumen through regular contributions to the website and features in the magazine. Her sharp understanding of the industry allows her to report on news and innovations with depth and insight.

IMA is looking forward to seeing the fresh perspective and insights Rose will bring to our association as America's Representative. We are confident her broad skill set, along with her commitment to excellence, will make her an invaluable addition to our team.

The IMA warmly welcomes Rose Eaton to her new role and is excited about the new chapters that lie ahead. Stay tuned for more updates.

ACRC conducts collaborative research in metal processing and manufacturing

Irvine, CA. October 12, 2022 - The Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) located at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) announced its first affiliated branch at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. This affiliation will provide members and industry with expanded research capabilities, facilities and resources, and geographic impact in metal casting and digital manufacturing.

Diran Apelian, distinguished professor at UCI’s Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, founded ACRC in 1984. Under his direction, it has grown to be the largest industry-university consortia in North America dedicated to collaborative research in metal processing and manufacturing. The organization brings fundamental understanding to existing processes, develops new methods and alloys, and addresses management-technology interface issues with clear industrial applications. Carl Söderhjelm, associate director of ACRC since 2019, oversees several key projects and spearheads the building of a modern metal casting facility at UCI.

Some of ACRC’s current research projects include work in data management, thermal management and machine learning. More detail about ACRC’s research can be found at: http://acrc.manufacturing.uci.edu/

(Photo: Alan Luo and Diran Apelian at a family gathering in Irvine, CA.)
Apelian said, “It has been said that those willing to collaborate will succeed; those refusing to will be left behind. It is so true. Alan Luo and I have been collaborating since 1989! This is a partnership that is based on trust, but more importantly on the vision of how collectively we can serve the metal casting and manufacturing industry. Having an ACRC branch at Ohio State is a win-win for all involved, particularly for our consortium members and our students, who are the future.”

With the oversight of the ACRC Board of Directors, the ACRC consortium has grown to ~40 corporate members. This latest affiliation with Ohio State will not only provide the alliance with a Midwestern footprint, it will allow the consortium to bring in enterprises from the manufacturing basin of the nation. This expansion will cement ACRC’s mission of being the premiere metal processing industry-university alliance serving corporate members and educating future industry leaders.

Apelian will continue to serve as director of ACRC at the headquarters on the UCI campus, along with Söderhjelm. Luo will serve as site director of ACRC at Ohio State. Luo is professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State. He is also the director of Ohio State’s Lightweight Materials and Manufacturing Research Laboratory. Professor Luo brings substantial expertise to research in lightweight materials, advanced and sustainable manufacturing processes including multi-material manufacturing, and integrated computational materials engineering.

According to Luo, “This affiliation with ACRC-UCI allows us to be a one-of-its-kind center in the global foundry industry for fostering industry-academic collaboration with top-notch researchers. The state of Ohio is home to the largest number of foundries in the nation. Ohio State has an internationally renowned metal casting program and a research foundry dating back to 1968. The foundry at Ohio State University is located at the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), a state-of-the-art manufacturing research and education facility on west campus. The ACRC-Ohio State affiliation will also provide us with an opportunity to bring in new members with fresh voices and ideas, as well as new additional research projects for our students and staff researchers.”

About the University of California, Irvine
Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

About The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University is a 21st-century land-grant institution founded in 1870 and located in Columbus, OH, the Midwest's fastest-growing metropolitan area. It is one of the premiere research institutions in the world offering over 120 majors and dedicating over $1.2 billion to research in 2020-2021. Ohio State is dedicated to creating and discovering knowledge to improve the well-being of local, state, regional, national, and global communities through academics, research, health care, and community engagement. Visit https://www.osu.edu/ for more information.

Media Contact:
Victoria Birk Hill, PR
Advanced Casting Research Center
313-510-9005
victoriabirkhill17@gmail.com