IndexBox's 2023 trade breakdown lists Canada about 1.2 million tonnes, South Korea about 1.1 million, and the UAE about 1.1 million as China's leading sulfur suppliers by volume, together about 39 percent of imports. Saudi Arabia, Japan, Qatar, Iran, and Kuwait made up much of the remainder. The item is at https://www.indexbox.io/blog/china-sulphur-imports-2023/.
China's sulfur imports rose 16 percent to 8.8 million tonnes in 2023 after three years of decline, IndexBox reported, though import value fell to about $1.1 billion on lower prices. A larger volume at a lower bill is a surplus-year Chinese bid. 2022 import value had peaked near $2.3 billion. 2024 would print 9.95 million tonnes at about $116 per tonne average. 2023 is the volume recovery at cheap CIF.
Alberta recovered sulfur still leaves mainly through Vancouver. Canada's 1.2 million tonnes into China is the Pacific solid slice of a 3.10 million tonne VFPA sulphur year. The other 1.9 million tonnes went to Australia, the United States, Indonesia, and others, plus whatever Port Moody and related terminals loaded that China did not take. A stem that is not only China is a stem that can diversify when Chinese CIF later jumps.
UAE at about 1.1 million tonnes as a top-three origin is Gulf granular competing with Canadian cargoes into Yangtze and southern Chinese phosphate plants whenever freight and FOB spreads aligned. That competition is the 2023 market. It is the stack that 2026's Hormuz shock would rewrite. Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran in the remainder are the rest of that Gulf book.
South Korea at about 1.1 million tonnes is refining and smelter sulfur, a third origin class. Japanese tonnes in the remainder are the same East Asian recovered book. Canadian oil-sands granules compete with those origins on freight-adjusted CIF, not on Claus chemistry. Forming quality and stem reliability are the Canadian offer.
Tampa fourth-quarter 2023 at $102 per long ton and Vancouver FOB $72 midpoint on 14 December are the North American prints against this Chinese origin table. Soft FOB is why Canada could still place 1.2 million tonnes without a 2022-style CIF explosion. The 39 percent top-three share is concentration. It is also diversification: no single origin held a majority.
BC Insight's 2023 Canadian balance, about 4.5 million tonnes production, 4.1 million exported, modest stock draw, is the surplus that filled Canada's 1.2 million tonne Chinese line. Molten rail south about 1.3 million tonnes is the other door, not in this IndexBox table. Two doors, one recovered stream.
Figures follow IndexBox. Licensed weekly grids are not restated. Canada's 1.66 million tonne 2024 Chinese share, Mysteel, is the next step up this ladder.