Economy

February Chinese Trade Data

Written by Brett Linton

March 25, 2014

Details on steel trade data out of China were released earlier this week on iron ore imports, steel scrap imports, and flat rolled steel imports and exports. Chinese imports of iron ore in February were 61,240,000 metric tons (MT), a decrease of 29.6 percent from the previous month but an increase of 8.5 percent from February 2013. Total iron ore imports for 2014 were adjusted to 148,070,000 MT.

February imports of steel scrap were 150,000 MT, down 5.1 percent from January and down 63.4 percent from the same month one year ago. 2014 total levels for steel scrap imports were adjusted to 310,000 MT.

Flat rolled imports in January were 840,000 MT, a 26.3 percent decrease from the previous month but a 7.7 percent increase over February 2013 figures. Total 2014 imports were adjusted to 1,980,000 MT. Chinese exports of flat rolled steel were 2,420,000 MT for February, down 21.2 percent from January but up 34.4 percent from February 2013. Total flat rolled exports for 2014 are at an adjusted 5,490,000 MT. (Source: China Customs Service)

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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