Tag: china

Global raw steel production slowed for the fourth straight month in September, according to the latest figures from the World Steel Association (worldsteel). After falling 3.4% month over month (m/m) in August, the total volume of raw steel produced around the globe ticked down 1.2% to an estimated 142.4 million metric tons (mt) in September. Output was down just 0.1% year over year (y/y). On a 12-month moving average (12MMA) basis, annual production has averaged 149.3 million mt per month across the past year. This was down 1.6% y/y and was the lowest 12MMA since May (Figure 1). Before September 2025, annual output had generally hovered between 152 million mt and 154 million mt for over three years, similar to pre-pandemic levels.

During the first three quarters of 2026, finished steel imports from South Korea increased 50.8% compared with the same period in 2025. Imports from Vietnam increased 23.4%, imports from Turkey increased 49.5%, and imports from India increased 29.5%. Those are not marginal increases. They are substantial import surges, especially in a US market where apparent domestic consumption has bounced around but has not grown since 2017. More importantly, these import surges are arriving at lower average unit values (AUVs).

Base metals had a mixed week. Tin lost almost 4% on the week, finishing at $53,000/ton. Prices dropped to a low of $51,259/ton at one point. Aluminum was another loser, off by about 1.6% on the week. Investors are expecting more aluminum supply going forward, especially out of China and Indonesia. Copper prices tacked on 1.1%. They have now recovered more than half of the $700/ton loss sustained (over the course of a week) following reports/rumors in mid-September that US tariffs on refined copper imports might not proceed after all.

Global raw steel production slowed for the third month in a row in August, according to the latest figures from the World Steel Association (worldsteel).

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is pressing President Donald Trump to raise the issue of China’s steel exports and industry subsidies during his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Commerce Department has found high dumping rates of Chinese tin mill products in the US market.

A policy that protects steel production while making downstream American manufacturing less competitive internationally merely moves the injury along the domestic supply chain.

China is bumping up against its official primary production capacity limit of 45.3 million metric tons/year, but production can still increase through “capacity creep.”

Rather than recruiting other countries to help, the US appears intent on threatening to punish countries, including its closest friends. In my experience, this strategy has never proved productive. 

The total volume of raw steel produced by mills around the globe eased for the second month in a row in July to an estimated 149.2 million metric tons (mt), according to the latest World Steel Association figures.

This item was first published by CRU. To learn about CRU’s global commodities research and analysis services, visit www.crugroup.com. Chinese steel export prices remained rangebound on persistently weak demand. Indian hot-rolled (HR) coil export prices fell amid elevated freight rates and European caution, while Turkish HR coil export prices came under pressure from EU quota exhaustion.  […]

The Commerce Department has preliminarily assigned significant countervailing duties (CVDs) in the trade case investigating large-diameter graphite electrode imports from China and India.

The total volume of raw steel produced by mills around the globe eased 2% in June, according to worldsteel.

The British government has taken longs producer British Steel back into public ownership, arguing it will protect the future of steel production in the UK.

Monthly steel imports rose back above 2 million short tons (st) in May and June, further recovering from the historic lows seen late last year, according to recent Commerce data.

After reaching historic lows late last year, import volumes have increased each month of 2026, according to recently released US Commerce Department data.

Sheet prices in the USA continued to move higher over the past month as supply remained tight in the country

The total volume of raw steel produced around the world fell 4% in April following the one-year high seen in March, per World Steel Association figures.

CRU: 62% Fe iron ore prices remained rangebound in April following the surge in the first half of March.

I attended the SAFE Summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. It was an out-of-this world event – and I mean that quite literally. There were serious discussions around building data centers in space.

A broad coalition of steel groups have written a letter urging the US government not to allow China access to the domestic auto market.

With global capacity projected to increase by 138 million mt by 2028, the gap between capacity and demand will continue to grow over the next three years. And that assumes the conflict in Iran does not stifle global demand.

Rising global capital and power costs, driven by China's production cap and higher-cost expansion in Indonesia, are resetting aluminum's incentive price, making higher LME levels necessary to unlock new primary capacity outside China.

Last week, the government of China reported a trade balance of $1.12 trillion in 2025, the largest merchandise trade surplus in history. And this surplus was despite massive tariffs imposed by the United States and other countries, partly in an effort to rein in China’s trade juggernaut.

The volume of steel shipped outside of the country increased 11% from September to October 2025 to a seven-month high of 662,000 short tons (st), according to recently released data from the US Department of Commerce.

As we move into 2026, it’s time to look forward. While the “Donroe Doctrine,” Venezuela, and Greenland absorb significant press attention, important trade developments will also continue to make headlines this year. The unprecedented changes we saw in 2025 will continue in 2026, particularly in the areas of IEEPA and tariffs, USMCA, and the WTO.

The total amount of raw steel produced around the world slipped 3% from October to an estimated 140.1 million metric tons (mt) in November, according to World Steel Association (worldsteel) data. This marks the lowest monthly production rate since December 2023.

Following August’s modest 4% uptick, the volume of steel shipped outside of the country slipped 8% in September to 594,000 short tons, according to recently released data from the US Department of Commerce.

Following four consecutive monthly declines, world crude steel output recovered 1% from September to October to an estimated 143.3 million metric tons (mt), according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel).

The downward trend in Chinese steel export prices continued over the past month, as domestic demand in the country failed to recover following the Golden Week holidays.