In the January-February period of the current year, China's crude steel output amounted to 130.8 million mt, up 1.7 percent year on year, as announced by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The growth rate in question was 8.9 percentage points lower than that recorded in the same period of last year.
In the first two months of the current year, China's overall outputs of metallurgical coke and ferroalloys amounted to 75.76 million mt and 5.69 million mt, up three percent and 11.5 percent respectively, both on year-on-year basis. The growth rates of coke and ferroalloy production in the given period were 6.8 and 8.7 percentage points lower than in the same period of 2013. Meanwhile, in January-February this year, China's exports of finished steel amounted to 11.57 million mt, up 26.3 percent on year-on-year basis.
In February this year, China's composite steel price index issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) was at 96.87 points, down 2.41 points compared to that recorded in December last year (data for January were not issued due to the Chinese New Year). In particular, in February the average prices of 6.5 mm high-speed wire rod and 1.0 mm cold rolled coil were RMB 3,370/mt ($552.5/mt) and RMB 4,388/mt ($719.4/mt), down 4.4 percent and 1.2 percent compared to the levels recorded in December 2013, and down 11.7 percent and rising by 1.9 percent on year-on-year basis. The average price of 20 mm common medium plate in China in February was RMB 3,520/mt ($577.1/mt), down 0.5 percent compared to December and down 10.3 percent year on year.