【SMM Blast Furnace Operating Rate】Increased Maintenance of Blast Furnaces, Pig Iron Increment Falls Short of Expectations

According to the SMM survey, as of April 2, the blast furnace operating rate of 242 steel mills surveyed by SMM was 87.49%, up 0.02 percentage points MoM. The blast furnace capacity utilization rate was 89.40%, up 0.17 percentage points MoM. The daily average pig iron production of the sampled steel mills was 2.4131 million mt, up 4,600 mt MoM.

During this period, 5 blast furnaces underwent maintenance, while 4 blast furnaces resumed production. The maintenance activities were mainly concentrated in Yunnan and Sichuan, while the resumption of production was primarily in north-east China and Xinjiang. Most of the maintenance activities during the week were part of regular annual inspections, and overall, steel mills showed little willingness for maintenance, leading to an upward trend in pig iron production.
Looking ahead to the next period, according to SMM statistics, there are no blast furnaces scheduled for maintenance, and 3 blast furnaces are expected to resume production, mainly in Hebei and Shaanxi. As April begins and the heating season ends, steel mills in north-east China may gradually formulate quarterly maintenance plans, and it is expected that the increase in pig iron production may fall short of expectations.