Is there a China tungsten export ban?
No, China has not banned tungsten exports outright. Since 4 February 2025, it has required a government licence for every export of key tungsten products, such as APT (ammonium paratungstate), tungsten oxides, tungsten carbide and heavy tungsten alloys, and only 15 approved companies may export. The one outright ban applies to dual-use exports to Japanese military end users, in force since 6 January 2026.
In practice, licensing has worked like a partial ban. Chinese exports of APT, the main intermediate traded worldwide, fell about 69% in the first 11 months of 2025, according to Fastmarkets, citing Chinese customs data. China mined about 79% of the world's tungsten in 2025, according to the USGS, so these controls are the biggest single driver of the tungsten price outside China.
Timeline of China's tungsten export controls
| Date | Measure | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| End of 2024 | US Section 301 tariffs | The US raised tariffs on several Chinese tungsten products to 50% (USGS) |
| 4 Feb 2025 | MOFCOM/GACC Announcement No. 10 of 2025 | Tungsten items added to China's dual-use export control list; licence needed for every destination |
| Apr 2025 | First-batch mining quota | China's 2025 first-batch tungsten mining quota cut to 58,000 tonnes of 65% concentrate, 6.5% below 2024 (SMM, China Tungsten Industry Association) |
| 26 Oct 2025 | MOFCOM Announcement No. 68 of 2025 | Rules for companies applying to be state-trading tungsten exporters for 2026–2027 |
| Nov 2025 | US–China trade truce | Other mineral measures suspended; tungsten licensing left in place |
| 26 Dec 2025 | MOFCOM notice | 15 approved tungsten exporters named for 2026–2027, effective 1 Jan 2026 |
| 30 Dec 2025 | Announcement No. 89 of 2025 | Tungsten and tungsten products kept on the 2026 export licence catalogue |
| 6 Jan 2026 | MOFCOM Announcement No. 1 of 2026 | Ban on all dual-use exports to Japanese military end users and uses |
| 10 and 27 Nov 2026 | Truce suspensions expire | Suspensions of China's rare earth package and its US ban on antimony, gallium and germanium are due to end. Tungsten licensing is unaffected either way |
Status checked against MOFCOM announcements and the APE-M export controls tracker as of late October 2026.
Which tungsten products are controlled?
Announcement No. 10 of 2025 lists these tungsten items, with their Chinese control codes:
| Control code | Items covered |
|---|---|
| 1C117.d | Ammonium paratungstate (APT), tungsten oxides and tungsten carbide not covered by 1C226 |
| 1C117.c | Solid tungsten and tungsten alloys with at least 97% tungsten; tungsten-copper (at least 80% tungsten); tungsten-silver (at least 80% tungsten and at least 2% silver), in sizes that can be machined into specified parts |
| 1C004 | Tungsten-nickel-iron and tungsten-nickel-copper alloys with density above 17.5 g/cm³ and high strength, used in armour-piercing and kinetic-energy applications |
| 1E004, 1E101.b | Technology and data for producing the items above |
These are the products used to make cemented carbide tools, military penetrators and heavy alloy components. Raw tungsten concentrate, which China mostly imports rather than exports, is less affected. Shanghai Metals Market reports that China's imports of tungsten ore rose sharply in 2025.
How China's tungsten export licensing works
Two separate systems now apply to tungsten leaving China:
- A fixed list of approved exporters. Only companies on MOFCOM's 2026–2027 state-trading list may export tungsten. Sixteen companies applied and 15 were approved, according to Asian Metal. They include China Tungsten & Hightech Materials (part of China Minmetals), Xiamen Tungsten, Jiangxi Tungsten Industry, Ganzhou Grand Sea Tungsten, Chongyi Zhangyuan Tungsten, Nanchang Cemented Carbide, Zigong Cemented Carbide and Sinochem Hebei.
- A licence for each shipment. Each export of a controlled item needs a dual-use licence from MOFCOM. The exporter must name the end user and end use, and buyers usually have to give end-use certificates.
This means China decides who can export and then reviews each shipment. Exports can be slowed through review times without any formal ban.
How much have Chinese tungsten exports fallen?
- Total tungsten products: down 19.7% to 15,515 tonnes in 2025, or down 20.0% to 13,096 tonnes of contained metal (Shanghai Metals Market)
- APT, tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder: down about 41.7% to roughly 3,877 tonnes in 2025 (Shanghai Metals Market)
- APT alone: 782 tonnes in 2024 versus 243 tonnes in January–November 2025, a fall of almost 70%. About 57% of 2025's APT exports went to Japan (Fastmarkets, citing Chinese customs)
- Fourth quarter 2025: exports fell 34.8% year on year, as Chinese domestic prices rose above export prices and made exporting less attractive (Shanghai Metals Market)
What the Japan measure means
MOFCOM Announcement No. 1 of 2026 bans exports of all dual-use items to Japanese military users, military uses, and any end use that strengthens Japan's military capabilities. It also makes companies in third countries legally liable if they pass Chinese-origin dual-use items to Japan in breach of the rule.
For tungsten, the measure covers the controlled APT, oxide, carbide and alloy products listed above. Japan sourced about 55% of its imported tungstates from China in January–November 2025, according to Japan Customs data cited by Fastmarkets. Traders told Fastmarkets that Vietnam and Taiwan offer alternative supply, and that the impact may be larger for rare earths than for tungsten. Civilian trade continues under licence.
How export controls changed tungsten prices
The controls have created a two-price tungsten market:
- Outside China, supply tightened and prices rose to records. Rotterdam APT rose from about US$331 to US$675 per metric tonne unit (mtu) during 2025, according to the USGS. By late October 2026, European APT was quoted at roughly US$2,500–3,100/mtu, according to Shanghai Metals Market.
- Inside China, prices peaked in March 2026 and then fell sharply, so Chinese domestic APT now trades well below Western prices.
Western buyers cannot simply buy cheaper Chinese material, because exports need a licence and US defence rules from 2027 will exclude Chinese-origin tungsten anyway. Our tungsten price guide tracks both markets.
Will China lift its tungsten export controls?
There is no sign of it. The November 2025 US–China truce suspended China's October 2025 rare earth measures and its ban on antimony, gallium and germanium exports to the US, but it left tungsten licensing in place. Those suspensions are due to end on 10 and 27 November 2026. Whether they are extended or not, tungsten licensing under Announcement No. 10 has been in force continuously since February 2025.
Western buyers are also moving away from Chinese supply. From 1 January 2027, US defence contracts must exclude tungsten mined, refined or produced in China, Russia, North Korea or Iran (see the DFARS tungsten rule). Even if China eased its licensing, demand from defence supply chains for non-Chinese tungsten would remain.
What China's tungsten controls mean for investors
- Non-Chinese producers gain pricing power. Mines in allied countries can sell at Western prices and meet defence sourcing rules.
- Policy cuts both ways. If China issued licences more freely, or domestic Chinese prices kept falling, Western prices could fall too. Tungsten is a policy-driven market and can be highly volatile.
- New supply takes years. Most non-Chinese projects need several years to build, so restarts with existing infrastructure can reach the market sooner. Our guide to the tungsten shortage looks at the supply gap in more detail.
Pure Tungsten Inc. is restarting the Ssangjon mine in South Korea, a US ally outside the DFARS restricted countries, using a fully built mill, with production targeted for Q4 2026. It is also advancing the Maykhura project in Tajikistan with TALCO. Find out more on the Pure Tungsten pre-IPO investment overview or request the investor pack. For listed alternatives, see our tungsten stocks list.