In the January-May period of the current year, China’s crude steel output amounted to 369.86 million mt, up 5.4 percent year on year, as announced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). In the given period, China’s finished steel output and ferroalloys output amounted to 434.67 million mt and 12.93 million mt, up 6.2 percent and 7.9 percent year on year, respectively, while China’s overall output of metallurgical coke totaled 175.96 million mt, down 2.9 percent year on year. Meanwhile, in the same period China’s finished steel exports amounted to 28.49 million mt, down 16.3 percent, while its finished steel imports totaled 5.63 million mt, down 0.7 percent, both year on year.
As also indicated by the NDRC, in May this year China's average composite steel price index issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) was at 114.78 points, up 3.40 points compared to April and rising by 18.52 points year on year. In particular, in May of the current year, the average prices of 6.5 mm high-speed wire rod, 20 mm common medium plate and 1.0 mm cold rolled coil (CRC) were respectively RMB 4,120/mt ($624.3/mt), RMB 4,422/mt ($670.0/mt) and RMB 4,681/mt ($709.3/mt), up RMB 198/mt ($30.0/mt), RMB 160/mt ($24.3/mt) and RMB 42/mt ($6.4/mt), all compared to April. The prices in question rose by 12.1 percent, 31.7 and 21.5 percent on year-on-year basis, respectively.