SteelOrbis Shanghai
The latest data released by the Chinese customs authorities show that China's finished steel exports for June totaled 5.22 million mt, down 340,000 mt or 6.1 percent month on month and down 1.14 million mt or 17.9 percent year on year. In addition, China's total steel exports for the January-June period reached 26.94 million mt, down 6.85 million mt or 20.3 percent compared to the same period last year, amounting to a total value of $25.3 billion, up $2.9 billion or 12.9 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, China's finished steel imports for June amounted to 1.26 million mt, down 80,000 mt or six percent month on month and down 150,000 mt or 10.6 percent year on year. In addition, China's total finished steel imports for the January-June period reached 8.28 million mt, down 410,000 mt or 4.7 percent compared to the same period last year.
Thus, China's net exports of finished steel in June reached 3.96 million mt, down 260,000 mt or 6.2 percent month on month and down 990,000 mt or 20 percent year on year.
China registered 20,000 mt of semis exports for the month of June, with total semis exports in the January-June period coming to just 130,000 mt, down 4.26 million mt or 97.5 percent year on year. Meanwhile, China's semis imports totaled 20,000 mt in June, with the January-June semis import figure totaling 100,000 mt, down 40,000 mt or 28.6 percent compared with the same period last year.
In terms of crude steel, in June China exported 5.51 million mt, down 1.93 million mt or 25.9 percent year on year, with net exports of 4.17 million mt, down 1.77 million mt or 29.8 percent year on year. In the January-June period, China's exports of crude steel totaled 28.49 million mt, down 11.47 million mt or 28.7 percent, with net exports reaching 19.64 million mt, down 11.01 million mt or 35.9 percent year on year.
China's coke exports for June totaled 1.50 million mt, with January-June coke exports of 7.44 million mt, down 610,000 mt or 7.6 percent year on year, amounting to a total value of $3.15 billion, up 134.2 percent year on year.
In June, China's iron ore imports totaled 37.79 million mt, down 1.12 million mt month on month and up 40.5 percent year on year. For the January-June period, on the other hand, total iron ore imports reached 230.04 million mt, up 22.5 percent year on year, amounting to $30.5 billion, up 117.3 percent year on year.