In the January-July period this year, China's exports of steel bars totaled 11.93 million mt, up 12.3 percent year on year, 1.5 percentage points faster than the pace of the increase recorded in the first six months, while wire rod exports amounted to 1.60 million mt, down 5.2 percent year on year, 0.4 percentage points slower compared to the decline in the first six months, according to the General Administration of Customs of China (GAAC). At the same time, China's export volumes of angles/channels came to 4.58 million mt in the given period, increasing by 4.9 percent year on year, 0.8 percentage points slower compared to the increase recorded in the January-June period.
In July alone, China's exports of steel bars and wire rod totaled 1.92 million mt and 240,000 mt, up 20.9 percent and down 3.2 percent year on year, while down 4.5 percent and 4.0 percent month on month, respectively, while China's exports of angles/channels amounted to 660,000 mt, up 0.4 percent year on year and rising by 1.5 percent month on month.
In July, China's exports of finished steel rose by 2.9 percent year on year, while exports of steel bars increased much faster, by 20.9 percent year on year, indicating the demand for steel bars, which is largely driven by the construction and infrastructure sectors, continued to show strong momentum, underpinned by infrastructure projects in emerging economies across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
