The Chinese domestic steel section market has moved on a stable trend in most regions of the country in the past week, though with slight declines in prices witnessed in some regions.
In the Shanghai market, the price of 50 mm x 50 mm x 5 m steel angles is now at $560/mt. The same product is sold at $506/mt in the Tangshan market and at $571/mt in the Guangzhou market. Meanwhile, prices of 160 mm x 65 mm x 8.5 mm steel channels stand at $537/mt in the Shanghai market, at $512/mt in Tangshan and at $587/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 $558/mt, $530/mt and $599/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 domestic market continued to indicate a slight softness during the past week. In Tangshan, the current price of Q235 150 x 150 mm square billet is at RMB 2,850/mt ($467/mt), the price of 165 x 225 mm rectangular billet stands at RMB 2,880/mt ($472/mt), while the price of 20MnSi billet is around RMB 2,970/mt ($486/mt). The prices are all ex-works, including 17 percent VAT.
Domestic steel section prices in China have indicated slight downticks in the eastern and central regions during the past week, while remaining stable in the rest of the country. The overall trading volume is still on the slack side. Mills' quoted prices and billet prices have softened slightly. As regards the coming week, it is believed that domestic steel section prices in China may indicate a slight softening.