【SMM Blast Furnace Operating Rate】The overall production enthusiasm of steel mills was moderate, and pig iron production continued to rise.

According to the SMM survey, on April 16, the blast furnace operating rate of 242 steel mills surveyed by SMM was 87.58%, up 0.2 percentage points MoM. The blast furnace capacity utilization rate was 89.83%, up 0.16 percentage points MoM. The daily average pig iron production of the sample steel mills was 2.4248 million mt, up 4,400 mt MoM.

During this period, 2 blast furnaces underwent maintenance, while 6 blast furnaces resumed production. The blast furnaces under maintenance were mainly concentrated in Liaoning, while the blast furnaces resuming production were mainly concentrated in Hebei, Xinjiang, and Shanxi. After the end of the heating season in the northeast region, local steel mills are expected to undergo annual maintenance. According to SMM tracking, a large state-owned steel mill in the region still has maintenance plans by month-end.
Looking ahead to next week, based on current tracking, 1 blast furnace is scheduled for maintenance, while 5 blast furnaces are expected to resume production. The blast furnace under maintenance is concentrated in Shandong, while the blast furnaces resuming production are concentrated in Guangdong, Hebei, and Shanxi. If the previously maintained blast furnaces resume normal production as planned, pig iron production is still expected to show an increasing trend. However, it is anticipated that some steel mills may temporarily schedule maintenance, and overall pig iron production may fall short of expectations.