China’s steel sheet/plate exports totaled 26.9 million mt in the January-October period of the current year, down 18.7 percent year on year, according to the Chinese customs authorities.
In October alone, China exported 2.44 million mt of steel sheet/plate, down 15.1 percent year on year, but up 8.9 percent month on month.
China’s export volumes have been on the rise on month-on-month basis, reflecting the shortage of supply in Asia, though domestic demand in China has also improved.
In October, ex-China HRC export prices moved on an overall uptrend, reaching their highest level on October 29 amid rising HRC futures prices and the appreciation of the Chinese currency. The year-on-year decrease in steel sheet/plate exports in October this year was 17.6 percentage point slower than that recorded in September, while the decrease was 0.3 percentage points slower in the first ten months of the year compared to the year-on-year decline of 19 percent recorded in the first nine months this year.