Chinese Steel Strong, Except for Exports

Chinese steel production and consumption took a downturn in September, though they trended ahead of 2016 for the first three quarters of this year. China’s exports to the rest of the world are down considerably in 2017, however, according to data from the China Iron & Steel Association and Bradford Research.

Year to date, China’s crude steel production totaled 638.7 million metric tons, a 5.6 percent increase over the first nine months of 2016. Shipments for the year totaled 829.8 million tons, a 1.2 percent increase. Apparent consumption totaled 780.3 million tons for 2017, up 4.7 percent from last year. Exports of 59.6 million tons, on the other hand, showed a decline of 29.8 percent compared with 2016.