In late August (August 21-31) this year, the average prices in China of coking coal and second-grade metallurgical coke were recorded at RMB 1,300.0/mt ($184.2/mt) and RMB 1,879.2/mt ($265.4/mt) respectively, as announced by China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
While the price of coking coal remained stable compared to that in mid-August (August 11-20), the coke market followed a different trend. Second-grade metallurgical coke prices decreased by RMB 40.1/mt ($5.7/mt) or 2.1 percent in late August compared to prices in mid-August.
Shifting from the decline of 5.0 percent in the average prices of coking coal in mid-August, coking coal prices moved on a stable trend in late August. Meanwhile, the average prices of metallurgical coke shifted from a rise of 4.0 percent in mid-August to the drop of 2.1 percent in late August.
In the period, coke prices decreased for Chinese steelmakers for the second time in August, exerting a negative impact on the coke market. However, starting from September 2, finished steel prices in China have rebounded, which will likely boost coke prices in the near future.