In May, China imported 631,000 tons of steel, an increase of 46,000 tons month-on-month, down 175,000 tons year-on-year; The average unit price of imports was $1737.2 / ton, down 1.8% month-on-month and up 4.5% year-on-year. From January to May, the imported steel was 3.129 million tons, down 37.1% year-on-year; The average unit price of imports was USD1,728.5 /ton, up 12.8% year-on-year; Imports of billets reached 1.027 million tons, down 68.8% year on year.
In May, China’s exports of steel 8.356 million tons, an increase of 424,000 tons, the fifth consecutive month of growth, an increase of 597,000 tons; The average unit price of exports was USD922.2/ton, down 16.0% quarter-on-quarter and 33.1% year-on-year. From January to May, the export of steel was 36.369 million tons, an increase of 40.9%; The average export price was $1,143.7 / ton, down 18.3%; Exports of billet 1.407 million tons, an increase of 930 million tons; Crude steel net exports of 34.847 million tons, an increase of 16.051 million tons, an increase of 85.4%.
Exports of steel products
In May, China’s steel exports rose for five consecutive months, the highest level since October 2016. The export volume of sheet metal reached a record high, of which the hot rolled coil and medium and thick plate increased most significantly. Exports to Asia and South America increased significantly, of which Indonesia, South Korea, Pakistan, Brazil increased by about 120,000 tons month-on-month. The details are as follows:
Varietal situation
In May, China exported 5.474 million tons of plate, an increase of 3.9%, accounting for 65.5% of the total exports, the highest level in history. Among them, the hot-rolled coil and medium and thick plate changes are the most obvious, the export volume of hot-rolled coil increased by 10.0% to 1.878 million tons, and the medium and thick plate increased by 16.3% to 842,000 tons, which is the highest level since 2015. In addition, the export volume of rod and wire increased by 14.6% to 1.042 million tons, the highest level in the past two years, of which rod and wire increased by 18.0% and 6.2% respectively.
In May, China exported 352,000 tons of stainless steel, down 6.4% from the previous month, accounting for 4.2% of total exports; The average export price was US $2,470.1 / ton, down 28.5% from the previous month. Exports to India, South Korea, Russia and other major markets fell month-on-month, of which exports to India remained at a historic high, exports to South Korea has fallen for two consecutive months, and PoSCO resumed production.