China’s crude steel output up 4.6 percent in Q1

In the first quarter of the current year, China’s apparent crude steel consumption moved up by 9.8 percent to 183.1 million mt, while the country’s crude steel output increased by 4.6 percent to 201.1 million mt, both year on year, according to the China report from the World Steel Association (worldsteel). 

 

In the given period, China’s semi-finished and finished steel product imports increased by 11.3 percent to 3.5 million mt and its semi-finished and finished steel exports showed a decrease of 25 percent to 20.7 million mt, both on year-on-year basis. 

 

Meanwhile, in the first three months of this year, China’s iron ore imports increased by 12.2 percent to 270.8 million mt, compared to the same period of 2016. In the January-March period, the country’s iron ore output amounted to 298.2 million mt, up 16 percent year on year.