Local Chinese steel section prices mostly trend sideways

The Chinese domestic steel section market has mostly followed a stable trend in the past week, though with slight fluctuations also seen.
 
In the Shanghai market, the price of 50 mm x 50 mm x 5 m steel angles is now at $313/mt. The same product is sold at $269/mt in the Tangshan market and at $366/mt in the Guangzhou market. Meanwhile, prices of 160 mm x 65 mm x 8.5 mm steel channels stand at $304/mt in the Shanghai market, at $271/mt in Tangshan and at $354/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 $320/mt, $288/mt and $378/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 have indicated minor increases during the past seven days. In Tangshan, the current price of Q235 150 x 150 mm square billet is at RMB 1,500/mt ($238/mt), the price of 165 x 225 mm rectangular billet stands at RMB 1,530/mt ($241/mt), while the price of 20MnSi billet is at around RMB 1,620/mt ($256/mt). The prices are all ex-mill, including 17 percent VAT.

While the Chinese steel section market has been mostly stable in the past week, some slight upticks have also been witnessed on the back of support from billet prices, though the slackness of demand has caused some traders to adjust their prices slightly in a downward direction. As for the coming week, it is believed that the market will be mainly stable with minor fluctuations also possible.

The prices are on theoretical weight basis, all prices include 17 percent VAT and all prices are ex-warehouse.
 
$1 = RMB 6.49