In the January-July period this year, China’s outputs of pig iron, crude steel and finished steel amounted to 528.92 million mt, 626.51 million mt and 789 million mt, increasing by 3.5 percent, 2.5 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively, year on year, as announced by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on August 15.
In July alone, China’s outputs of pig iron, crude steel and finished steel totaled 77.6 million mt, 90.8 million mt and 116.53 million mt, increasing by 10.2 percent, 11.5 percent and 14.5 percent year on year, while up 0.81 percent, down 0.34 percent and down 2.96 percent, respectively, month on month.
Average steel prices mostly fluctuated within a limited range in July, while starting to indicate a rising trend in late July amid the increasing trend seen in futures prices and firm support from raw material prices.