Economy

Chinese Iron Ore, Scrap, Flat Rolled Data through July

Written by Brett Linton

August 23, 2018

Chinese steel trade data was recently released for the month of July 2018, providing updated data on iron ore imports, scrap imports and flat rolled imports and exports. Chinese imports of iron ore in July totaled 89,960,000 metric tons, an increase of 8.1 percent from the previous month, and an increase of 4.3 percent from July 2017. China’s total iron ore imports for the first seven months of 2018 were 620,650,000 metric tons. The same period in 2017 was slightly more at 625,433,000 tons.

Chinese imports of steel scrap in July totaled 80,000 metric tons, unchanged over June, and down 42.9 percent over the same month one year ago. Steel scrap imports into China in the first seven months of 2018 totaled 930,000 metric tons, down from 1,450,000 tons through the same period in 2017.

China’s July exports of steel scrap totaled 2,000 tons, down from 7,000 tons the previous month. Around 333,000 tons of scrap have been exported from China year to date.

Flat rolled imports to China in July were 860,000 metric tons, unchanged over the previous month, and up 6.2 percent over July 2017 figures. Total 2018 imports year to date were adjusted to 6,480,000 metric tons. The same period in 2017 was almost identical at 6,470,000 tons.

Chinese exports of flat rolled steel totaled 3,370,000 metric tons for July, down 14.5 percent from June, and down 21.3 percent from July 2017. China’s flat rolled exports year to date through July totaled 23,540,000 metric tons, down from 27,130,000 tons through the first seven months of 2017. (Source: Bradford Research, Inc. & China Customs Service)

To view an interactive graphic of the Chinese trade data history on the Steel Market Update website, click here. If you need assistance with either logging in or navigating the website, please contact our office at 800-432-3475 or info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

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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