In the January-July period this year, China's HRC and CRC production totaled 126.686 million mt and 29.404 million mt, down 4.5 percent and up 6.1 percent year on year, respectively, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
In July alone, China's HRC and CRC production amounted to 17.871 million mt and 4.371 million mt, down 3.2 percent and up 12.3 percent year on year, while down 6.5 percent and 3.8 percent month on month, respectively.
In July, HRC prices in the Chinese domestic market moved sideways first while edging down later. HRC prices reached a peak in July at RMB 3,415/mt ($503/mt) on July 17-20, with the lowest level during the month seen at RMB 3,370/mt ($497/mt) on July 31, according to SteelOrbis' data.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis, China's steel sheet/plate exports totaled 38.26 million mt in the January-July period this year, down 9.9 percent year on year, 1.3 percentage points slower than the declining pace recorded in the first six months this year, according to the Chinese customs authorities.
In July alone, China's steel sheet/plate exports amounted to 6.02 million mt, down 1.8 percent year on year and decreasing by 1.15 percent month on month.
