In the January-July period of the current year, China’s exports of steel bars totaled 4.3 million mt, down 26.4 percent year on year, while wire rod exports amounted to 1.22 million mt, down 1.8 percent year on year. At the same time, China’s export volumes of angles/channels came to 1.99 million mt in the given period, up 14.8 percent year on year, 4.9 percentage points faster than the year-on-year rise recorded in the first six months.
In July alone, China’s exports of steel bars amounted to 0.77 million mt, up 51.0 percent year on year, while down 14.4 percent month on month, exports of wire rod and angles/channels amounted to 200,000 mt and 320,000 mt, up 19.2 percent and 52.5 percent year on year, while decreasing by 4.76 percent and 25.6 percent, month on month, respectively.
In July, ex-China rebar export prices moved down amid slack demand during the traditional offseason, especially given the very hot weather in China.