In the January-June period of the current year, China's crude steel output amounted to 411.91 million mt, up three percent year on year, as announced by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on July 28. The growth rate in question was 4.4 percentage points lower than that recorded in the same period of last year
In the first six months of the current year, China's overall outputs of metallurgical coke and ferroalloys amounted to 233.92 million mt and 19.16 million mt, down 1.1 percent and up 9.3 percent respectively, both on year-on-year basis. The growth rates of coke and ferroalloy production in the given period were 8.4 and 5.9 percentage points lower than in the same period of 2013. Meanwhile, in January-June this year, China's exports of finished steel amounted to 41.01 million mt, up 33.6 percent on year-on-year basis.
As also indicated by the NDRC, in June this year China's composite steel price index issued by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) was at 93.58 points, down 1.51 points compared to May. In particular, in June the average prices of 6.5 mm high-speed wire rod, 20 mm common medium plate and 1.0 mm cold rolled coil were respectively RMB 3,253/mt ($525.5/mt), RMB 3,461/mt ($559.13/mt) and RMB 4,175/mt ($674.47/mt), down RMB 84/mt ($13.6/mt), RMB 48/mt ($7.8/mt) and RMB 52/mt ($8.4/mt) month on month, while indicating declines of 5.6 percent, 4.1 percent and 7.6 percent year on year.
In the January-May period of the current year, the domestic steel industry realized an overall gross profit of RMB 56.7 billion ($9.16 billion), down 9.2 percent year on year.
