Statistics on the import and export quantities of boron carbide in China from 2015 to 2019.

1. Global Boron Carbide Downstream Applications and Regional Distribution

Boron carbide has high melting point (2450℃), high hardness (second only to diamond and boron nitride, ~29.1GPa), high elastic modulus, low density (2.52g/cm3), good thermal stability, and high thermal neutron absorption cross-section (6×10−22cm−2), making it an excellent special ceramic hard material.

In 2019, the global boron carbide production capacity was about 22,000 tons/year, with an output of around 9,500 tons. For a long time, China has been the main producer of boron carbide, and with the rapid growth of domestic demand over the past decade, China has surpassed the United States to become the world's largest boron carbide consumption market, accounting for nearly half of the global total.

2019 Global Boron Carbide Consumption by Regional Distribution (Unit: %)

In downstream applications, abrasives and refractory materials are the two main markets, accounting for 53% and 33% respectively, while other applications have relatively small shares. By application form, powder applications account for over 90%, while product applications only account for 7%.

2019 Global Boron Carbide Downstream Market Distribution by Consumption (Unit: %)

2. Analysis of China's Boron Carbide Import and Export Status

In terms of import and export volume, as the world's largest boron carbide producer and consumer market, China is also the world's largest net exporter. According to statistics, in 2019, China's boron carbide export volume was 2,482 tons, with almost all export products being powders, mainly sold to Japan, Germany, India, the United States, and South Korea.

2015-2019 Statistics on China's Boron Carbide Import and Export Volume