In the January-April period of the current year, China’s crude steel output amounted to 288.97 million mt, up 5.0 percent year on year, as announced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). In the given year, China’s finished steel output and ferroalloys output amounted to 337.34 million mt and 10.79 million mt, up 5.0 percent and 8.3 percent year on year, respectively, while China’s overall output of metallurgical coke totaled 139.35 million mt, down 3.5 percent year on year. Meanwhile, in the given period China’s finished steel exports amounted to 21.62 million mt, down 20.1 percent, while its finished steel imports totaled 4.5 million mt, down 1.3 percent, both year on year.
As also indicated by the NDRC, in April this year China's average composite steel price index issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) was at 111.39 points, down 2.45 points compared to March and rising by 15.91 points year on year. In particular, in April of the current year, the average prices of 6.5 mm high-speed wire rod and 1.0 mm cold rolled coil (CRC) were respectively RMB 3,922/mt ($611.9/mt) and RMB 4,639/mt ($723.7/mt), down RMB 41/mt ($6.4/mt) and RMB 102/mt ($15.9/mt), while the average price of 20 mm common medium plate was RMB 4,263/mt ($665.1/mt), up RMB 29/mt ($4.5/mt), all compared to March. The prices in question rose by 10.8 percent, 16.9 and 24.7 percent on year-on-year basis, respectively.