Production of different grades of stainless steel increased by varying degrees over January-June, with the tonnage of 300-series stainless seeing the sharpest rise of 9.3% compared with the same period last year, the CSSC data showed.
During the first six months, China’s production of high-end duplex stainless came in at 202,948 tonnes, higher by 3,824 tonnes or 1.9% on year, accounting for 1.9% of the total output, according to the association.
China’s stainless exports also witnessed significant growth in the first half of this year, with the total volume reaching 2.37 million tonnes, rising by 325,900 tonnes or 16% from the same period last year.
The country’s total stainless import volume registered 1.11 million tonnes, with a sharper growth of 265,000 tonnes or 31.4% on year, and the tonnage imported from Indonesia reached 956,100 tonnes, surging by 313,400 tonnes or 48.8% on year, according to CSSC.
China’s apparent consumption of stainless steel increased too over January-June, with the volume up by 862,200 tonnes or 5.8% on year to 15.69 million tonnes, the association’s statistics showed.
However, the domestic stainless market was still under pressure in the first half of this year, as demand from local end-users was not so strong, and stainless stocks at traders’ warehouses stayed at a relatively high level.
