In the January-May period this year, China’s exports of steel bars totaled 8.0 million mt, up 6.5 percent year on year, while wire rod exports amounted to 1.11 mt, down 7.3 percent year on year, according to the General Administration of Customs of China (GAAC). At the same time, China’s export volumes of angles/channels came to 3.27 million mt in the given period, increasing by 9.5 percent year on year.
In May alone, China’s exports of steel bars and wire rod totaled 1.95 million mt and 270,000 mt, up 8.4 percent and 4.1 percent year on year, respectively, while China’s exports of angles/channels amounted to 720,000 mt, down 6.0 percent year on year.
In May, China’s exports of finished steel declined by 2.2 percent year on year, while exports of steel bars rose by 8.4 percent year on year, reflecting the international market's capacity to absorb long steel products amid the demand from emerging markets.