In August this year, China increased its steel exports by 0.3% compared with the previous month, to 10.15 million tonnes. This was reported by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).
Compared with the same period in 2025, the figure rose by 6.8%. The average price of these exports in August was 722.2 per tonne, which was 0.9% higher than in the previous month.
Between January and August, Chinese steelmakers exported 75.15 million tonnes of steel products, down 3% year-on-year.
Steel imports into China in August totalled 434,000 tonnes (-2.5% month-on-month and -13.2% year-on-year). Over the first eight months, the figure stood at 3.57 million tonnes (-10.5% year-on-year).
Meanwhile, in August, China imported 108.54 million tonnes of iron ore, which was 0.4% more than the previous month and 3.1% more year-on-year. The average price of these imports was $95.5 per tonne, which was 5.1% lower than in July.
In January–August this year, ore imports into the PRC totalled 845.27 million tonnes (+5.5% year-on-year).
It should be noted that, by the end of 2025, China increased its steel exports by 7.5% year-on-year — to a record 119.02 million tonnes. Overseas shipments helped the country offset the slowdown in domestic demand. Steel imports into China last year totalled 6.06 million tonnes, down 11.1% year-on-year. Ore imports into the country in 2025 rose by 1.8% year-on-year, to 1.26 billion tonnes.
As reported by GMK Center, CISA has called on Chinese steelmakers to strengthen their raw material supply chains, given the sector’s significant reliance on imported resources.
