In April this year, China's aggregate metallurgical coke and ferroalloy outputs were up 4.9 percent and 12.2 percent year on year, as announced by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Meanwhile, the country exported 5.55 million mt of finished steel and imported 1.26 million mt of finished steel in the given month, up 270,000 mt and 30,000 mt month on month. China exported 280,000 mt of coke in April, up 180,000 mt month on month.
In the January-April period this year, China's aggregate coke and ferroalloy outputs amounted to 153.98 million mt and 11.05 million mt, up 7.9 percent and 19.7 percent respectively, both year on year. Meanwhile, the country exported 19.98 million mt of finished steel and imported 4.49 million mt of finished steel in the given period, up 19 percent and down 0.9 percent year on year. China exported 560,000 mt of coke in January-April, up 92.6 percent year on year.
In the first four months of this year, the country imported 253.6 million mt of iron ore, up 3.9 percent year on year. Meanwhile, it imported 190,000 mt of semi-finished steel, up 47 percent year on year.
In April, the steel composite price index for the Chinese domestic market was 106.26, down 1.73 points month on month and decreasing by 15.26 points year on year. In particular, the average market price of 6.5 mm diameter high-speed wire rod was RMB 3,687/mt ($595/mt), down 1.4 percent month on month and declining by 16.2 percent year on year. The average market price of 20 mm steel plate was RMB 3,869/mt ($624/mt), down 2.1 percent month on month and down 13.2 percent year on year. The average market price of 1.0 mm cold rolled steel coil was RMB 4,758/mt ($767/mt), down 1.1 percent month on month and down 8.3 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the January-March period of this year the aggregate gross profits of the overall Chinese iron and steel industry (including mining, smelting and processing) amounted to RMB 36.49 billion ($5.9 billion), increasing by 1.1 times on year-on-year basis. Meanwhile, the gross profits of China's ferrous metal mining sector in the given period amounted to RMB 16.06 billion ($2.6 billion), down 5.2 percent year on year, while the gross profits of the country's iron and steel smelting and processing sector totaled RMB 16.69 billion ($ 2.7 billion), compared to a net loss of RMB 1.13 billion in the same period last year.
