In the Shanghai market, the price of 50 mm x 50 mm x 5 m steel angles is now at $569/mt. The same product is sold at $553/mt in the Tangshan market and at $583/mt in the Guangzhou market. Meanwhile, prices of 160 mm x 65 mm x 8.5 mm steel channels stand at $567/mt in the Shanghai market, at $554/mt in Tangshan and at $603/mt in the Guangzhou market. In the Shanghai, Tangshan and Guangzhou markets, 250 mm x 118 mm x 10 m I-beam prices stand respectively at $592/mt, $567/mt and $608/mt. The prices are all ex-mill, including 17 percent VAT. Steel section prices in the Chinese domestic market can be viewed in the SteelOrbis price reports section.
As for billet, prices in the Chinese market have indicated a slight downward movement during the past week. In Tangshan, the current price of Q235 150 x 150 mm square billet is at RMB 3,090/mt ($501/mt), the price of 165 x 225 mm rectangular billet stands at RMB 3,120/mt ($506mt), while the price of 20MnSi billet is at around RMB 3,210/mt ($520mt). The prices are all ex-mill, including 17 percent VAT.
The slight fall in steel section prices in central China in the past week was due to the greater sensitivity of the market in central China to the minor softening observed in billet prices, while the low trading volume also put pressure on traders in the region to reduce their prices in order to increase sales. It is thought that the trend in the central China market may herald the price movement in the overall Chinese domestic steel section market in the coming period, with softer upstream costs and slow demand being influential factors. Market insiders believe there is a strong probability that China's domestic steel section market will indicate an overall decline in the coming week.