During the week ending April 18, Chinese domestic semi-finished steel prices have indicated significant declines, while transaction activity in the market has been at low levels. Average prices of steel billet and slab in the local Chinese market are presented in the following table.
During the given week, with the overall downtrend continuing in the domestic finished steel market, rolling mills have been unwilling to conclude purchases of semi-finished steel, resulting in a slackening of activity in the semi-finished steel market. Meanwhile, iron ore prices have also moved down significantly, exerting negative pressure on domestic semi-finished steel prices. Against the backdrop of weak sentiment, it is expected that semi-finished steel prices in the Chinese domestic market will likely move down further in the coming week.
| Product Name | Spec. | Category | City | Price (RMB/mt) | Price ($/mt) | Weekly Change (RMB/mt) |
| Billet | 150 mm x 150 mm | Q195-Q235 | Tangshan | 2,750 | 400 | ↓250 |
| Jinzhong | 2,700 | 392 | ↓230 | |||
| Fuzhou | 2,900 | 422 | ↓200 | |||
| Jiangyin | 2,920 | 424 | ↓250 | |||
| Average price | 2,817 | 409 | ↓232 | |||
| Billet | 150 mm x 150 mm | 20 MnSi | Tangshan | 2,850 | 414 | ↓250 |
| Jinzhong | 2,790 | 406 | ↓230 | |||
| Fuzhou | 3,000 | 436 | ↓200 | |||
| Jiangyin | 3,060 | 445 | ↓250 | |||
| Average price | 2,925 | 425 | ↓233 | |||
| Slab | 250*1800*6000 | Q235 | Tangshan, Hebei | 2,800 | 407 | ↓220 |
All prices are ex-warehouse and on actual weight basis and include 17 percent VAT.
$1 = RMB 6.88