The Chinese domestic steel section market has witnessed both upward and downward price movements during the past week.
In the Shanghai market, the price of 50 mm x 50 mm x 5 m steel angles is now at $535/mt. The same product is sold at $498/mt in the Tangshan market and at $551/mt in the Guangzhou market. Meanwhile, prices of 160 mm x 65 mm x 8.5 mm steel channels stand at $514/mt in the Shanghai market, at $499/mt in Tangshan and at $560/mt in the Guangzhou market. In the Shanghai, Tangshan and Guangzhou markets, 250 mm x 118 mm x 10 m I-beam prices stand respectively at $550/mt, $504/mt and $568/mt. The prices are all ex-mill, including 17 percent VAT. Steel section prices in the Chinese domestic market can be viewed in the SteelOrbis price reports section.
As for billet, prices in the Chinese domestic market have followed a stable trend during the past seven days. In Tangshan, the current price of Q235 150 x 150 mm square billet is at RMB 2,750/mt ($443/mt), the price of 165 x 225 mm rectangular billet stands at RMB 2,780/mt ($448/mt), while the price of 20MnSi billet is at around RMB 2,900/mt ($467/mt). The prices are all ex-mill, including 17 percent VAT.
In the Chinese domestic steel section market, supplies of certain products have been tight in some areas due to Masteel's ongoing halt of production of angles and channels. Meanwhile, billet prices have risen slightly during the past week. Due to these factors, some traders have chosen to raise their quoted prices, despite sluggish demand. Others, however, have slightly lowered their prices due to the poor demand situation.. For the coming week, China's domestic steel section market is expected to continue to see slight fluctuations in prices.