During the week ending April 25, average hot rolled coil (HRC) prices in the Chinese domestic market have indicated slight fluctuations, with minor upticks for thick specifications and decreases for thin specifications, while transaction activity in the overall market is currently at medium levels. Average HRC prices in the local Chinese market are presented in the following table.
During the given week, with the downward movement of domestic finished steel prices having lost momentum, HRC prices in the Chinese domestic market have indicated slight fluctuations. Traders have been willing to sell at lower prices in order to bring in cash and avoid further losses, resulting in some improvement in transaction activity. However, demand from downstream users has not improved. Meanwhile, inventories of HRC are still at relatively high levels, exerting pressure on HRC prices in the spot market. It is thought that HRC prices in the Chinese domestic market will likely move sideways in the coming week.
| Product Name | Spec. | Quality | City | Steel Plant/Origin | Price (RMB/mt) | Price ($/mt) | Weekly Change (RMB/mt) |
| Medium HRC | 5.75 mm x 1,500 mm x C | Q235B/SS400 | Shanghai | Ansteel | 2,950 | 429 | ↓10 |
| Tianjin | Ansteel | 2,930 | 426 | ↑40 | |||
| Lecong | Liuzhou Steel | 3,040 | 442 | ↑10 | |||
| Average | - | 2,973 | 432 | ↑13 | |||
| Thin HRC | 2.75 mm x 1.,250 mm x C | Q235B | Shanghai | Ansteel | 3,062 | 445 | ↓68 |
| Tianjin | Tangshan Steel | 3,000 | 436 | ↑10 | |||
| Lecong | Lianyuan Steel | 3,050 | 443 | ↓50 | |||
| Average | - | 3,037 | 441 | ↓36 |
17 percent VAT is included in all prices and all prices are ex-warehouse.
$1 = RMB 6.88