China's steel import details for the first five months

China’s steel import details for the first five months

Through January – May 2005, China's overall steel product imports fell 31.51% year on year to 10.7 million tons with $10.52 billion trade value. According to the detailed statistics from Chinese customs, China's imports of railway steel products decreased 62.2% year on year to 47'000 tons in the first five months. Regarding the other long products, the large section imports decreased to 203'000 tons, down 54.6%, while light & medium section accounted for 75'000 tons and bar products accounted for 123'000 tons of total imports, both decreased 20.7% and 18.4% respectively. Rebar imports dwindled 60.8% and accounted for 44'000 tons of the total. Wire rod imports also fell 32.5% to 284'000 tons. The fall was larger for flat products. Super heavy plate imports dwindled 62.8% to 41'000 tons, heavy plate decreased 81.1% to 75'000 tons, medium plate dropped 66.1% to 309'800 tons, HR sheet decreased 10.98% to 920'000 tons and CR sheet declined 15.5% to 639'000 tons. Furthermore, the import quantities of medium thick & wide strip dropped 40.9% to 1.14 million tons, HR thin and wide strip fell 36.1% to 1.21 million tons, CR thin & wide strip decreased 25% to 2.5 million tons, narrow HR strip dropped 12.0% to 87'000 tons and narrow CR strip 14.9% to 237'000 tons. Plating sheet/strip, color coating sheet/strip and silicon steel also fell 16.98%, 40.1% and 26.8% to 2.25 million tons, 168'000 tons and 553'000 tons respectively. Regarding the pipes, the imports of seamless steel pipes went down 6.8% to 276'000 tons and welded steel pipes dropped 40% to 162'000 tons.