In May this year, China's aggregate metallurgical coke and ferroalloy outputs were up seven percent and 12.4 percent year on year respectively, as announced by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Meanwhile, the country exported 5.41 million mt of finished steel and imported 1.25 million mt of finished steel in the given month, down 140,000 mt and 10,000 mt month on month respectively. China exported 420,000 mt of coke in May, up 140,000 mt month on month.
In the January-May period this year, China's aggregate coke and ferroalloy outputs amounted to 195.39 million mt and 13.94 million mt, up eight percent and 19.6 percent respectively, both year on year. Meanwhile, the country exported 25.4 million mt of finished steel and imported 5.75 million mt of finished steel in the given period, up 15.4 percent and down 1.8 percent year on year respectively. China exported 970,000 mt of coke in January-May, up 1.3 times year on year.
In the first five months of this year, the country imported 322.07 million mt of iron ore, up 4.7 percent year on year, while it imported 240,000 mt of semi-finished steel, up 51.3 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the January-May period of this year the aggregate gross profits of the overall Chinese iron and steel industry (including mining, smelting and processing) amounted to RMB 62.1 billion ($10 billion), increasing by 23.4 percent on year-on-year basis. Meanwhile, the gross profits of China's ferrous metal mining sector in the given period amounted to RMB 29.57 billion ($4.8 billion), up 7.8 percent year on year, while the gross profits of the country's iron and steel smelting and processing sector totaled RMB 26.08 billion ($4.2 billion), up 43.1 percent year on year.
In May, the steel composite price index for the Chinese domestic market was 103.6, down 2.66 points month on month and decreasing by 15.16 points year on year. In particular, the average market price of 6.5 mm diameter high-speed wire rod was RMB 3,600/mt ($583/mt), down 2.3 percent month on month and declining by 15 percent year on year. The average market price of 20 mm steel plate in May was RMB 3,739/mt ($605/mt), down 3.4 percent month on month and decreasing by 13 percent year on year. In the given month, the average market price of 1.0 mm cold rolled steel coil was RMB 4,660/mt ($754/mt), down 2.1 percent month on month and down 8.7 percent year on year