Introduction: China's pure benzene imports in May totaled 234,800 tons, in line with the previously expected 250,000 tons. The decline in import volume was primarily driven by reduced export availability due to production cuts at Asian plants and the opening of the Korea-US arbitrage window.

According to customs statistics, China's pure benzene imports in May 2026 amounted to 234,791.952 tons, with cumulative imports reaching 1,948,424.471 tons. The import value for the month was USD 262.795195 million, with an average import price of USD 1,119.27 per ton. The import volume decreased by 46.72% month-on-month and 42.11% year-on-year. The cumulative import volume was down 18.00% compared to the same period last year.

According to customs statistics, China's pure benzene exports in May 2026 totaled 2,850 tons, with cumulative exports reaching 3,102.72 tons. The export value for the month was USD 6.27 million, with an average export price of USD 2,200 per ton. Export volume surged 5,606.39% year-on-year, and cumulative export volume increased by 1,355.94% compared to the same period last year.

Based on customs data, in May 2026, China imported 87,900 tons of pure benzene from South Korea, down 53% month-on-month. Imports from South Korea accounted for 37.48% of the total monthly imports, a decrease of 5.19 percentage points from the 42.67% share in April. The share of imports from South Korea was below the normal range of 45-50%, consistent with expectations and reflecting the actual decline in operating rates at South Korean plants.

Regarding other source countries, China imported 17,200 tons of pure benzene from India in May, a decrease of 65,600 tons from April. In April 2026, China imported 82,800 tons of pure benzene from India, and from January to April 2026, total imports from India reached 147,400 tons. Compared to the oversupply in April, imports from India returned to normal levels in May.

Aside from South Korea and India, in May, China imported 38,200 tons of pure benzene from Thailand, 28,700 tons from Brunei, 18,000 tons from Oman, 12,000 tons from Indonesia and Malaysia combined, 11,500 tons from Japan, 8,600 tons from Singapore, and 600 tons from Russia.

According to customs data, in May 2026, the main destinations for China's pure benzene imports by registration place were Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Shandong, with import volumes of 78,200 tons, 34,800 tons, and 27,100 tons respectively. All three regions saw month-on-month declines of over 50% from April. Other import destinations included Fujian (26,700 tons), Guangdong (20,600 tons), Hainan (18,100 tons), Jiangsu (11,900 tons), Guangxi (11,400 tons), and Hubei (6,000 tons).

According to customs data, in May 2026, the main trade mode for China's pure benzene imports was general trade, totaling 214,700 tons and accounting for 91.44% of the total. The secondary trade mode was processing trade with imported materials, totaling 20,100 tons, accounting for 8.56%.

The import volume of 234,700 tons in May marked the lowest monthly import level since July 2023. The decline in domestic imports was directly reflected in the arrival volume at East China port storage, thereby impacting domestic spot prices. Market expectations had previously estimated May imports at 250,000 tons due to production cuts at Asian plants, with June and July imports estimated at around 330,000 tons. The actual May import volume was close to expectations, and attention will remain on the negotiation and transaction status of Asian pure benzene for June and July.