In the January-August period of the current year, China’s crude steel output amounted to 543.02 million mt, down two percent year on year, as announced by China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The growth rate in question was 4.6 percentage points lower than that recorded in the same period last year.
In the January-August period this year, China’s overall outputs of metallurgical coke and ferroalloys amounted to 301.47 million mt and 24.06 million mt, down 4.2 percent and 1.6 percent respectively, both on year-on-year basis. The growth rates of coke and ferroalloy production in the given period were 4.0 and 9.2 percentage points lower than in the same period of 2014. Meanwhile, in the January-August period this year China’s finished steel exports amounted to 71.87 million mt, up 26.5 percent on year-on-year basis.
As also indicated by the NDRC, in August this year China's average composite steel price index issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) was at 64.31 points, down 26.86 points compared to August last year. In particular, in August of the current year the average prices of 6.5 mm high-speed wire rod, 20 mm common medium plate and 1.0 mm cold rolled coil (CRC) were respectively RMB 2,401/mt ($376.9/mt), RMB 2,202/mt ($345.7/mt) and RMB 2,741/mt ($430.3/mt), up RMB 155/mt ($24.3/mt), rising by RMB 55/mt ($8.6/mt) and down RMB 120/mt ($18.8/mt) month on month, while indicating declines of 23.6 percent, 34.1 percent and 33.1 percent year on year, respectively.