In the May of the current year, China’s crude steel output amounted to 72.26 million mt, up 1.8 percent year on year, as announced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The growth rate in question was stable compared to that recorded in the same month of last year. In the January-May period of the current year, China’s crude steel output amounted to 346.83 million mt, up 4.4 percent year on year.
In the January-May period of the current year, China’s overall outputs of metallurgical coke and ferroalloys amounted to 182.82 million mt and 14.00 million mt, up 3.7 percent and down 0.2 percent year on year, respectively. Meanwhile, in the given period China’s finished steel imports and exports totaled 5.67 million mt and 34.19 million mt, up 6.5 percent and down 25.7 percent on year-on-year basis, respectively.
As also indicated by the NDRC, in May this year China's average composite steel price index issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) was at 96.26 points, up 0.79 points month on month and rising by 20.61 points year on year. In particular, in May of the current year, the average price of 6.5 mm high-speed wire rod was RMB 3,676 /mt ($540.76/mt), up RMB 136/mt ($20.0) or 37.6 percent year on year. In the same month, the average prices of 20 mm common medium plate and 1.0 mm cold rolled coil (CRC) were respectively RMB 3,358/mt ($494/mt) and RMB 3,854/mt ($567/mt), down RMB 60/mt ($8.8/mt) and RMB 114/mt ($16.8/mt) month on month, while declining by 23.9 percent, and 11.2 percent year on year, respectively.