[SMM Rebar Daily Review] Labour Day holiday approaching, will the weakness of construction steel prices persist?

Published: Apr 29, 2025 17:28
[SMM Daily Rebar Review: Labour Day Holiday Approaches, Will Construction Steel Prices Remain Weak?] Today, rebar futures fluctuated downward, closing at 3,100, down 1.21% from the previous trading day. On the spot cargo side, quotes in most regions loosened, with declines ranging from 10 to 30 yuan/mt. Market sentiment significantly weakened compared to the previous two days, and trading atmosphere was poor. Additionally, as restocking before the holiday was largely completed, traders mostly maintained a wait-and-see attitude, and overall trading performance was average throughout the day.

Today, rebar futures fluctuated downward, closing at 3,100, down 1.21% from the previous trading day. In the spot market, quotations in most regions softened, with declines ranging from 10 to 30 yuan/mt. Market sentiment weakened significantly compared to the previous two days, and trading activity was sluggish. With restocking before the holiday largely completed, traders mostly adopted a wait-and-see attitude, and overall trading performance was average. On the supply side, according to SMM's weekly maintenance survey, the impact from maintenance on construction steel production this week was 1.1543 million mt, a decrease of 50,000 mt WoW, indicating a slight increase in supply. However, looking ahead to May, blast furnace steel mills have seen good order intake for billet exports, with expectations of reducing finished steel output by selling more billets. EAF steel mills, affected by difficulties in steel scrap collection and poor profitability, continue to see a downward trend in operating rates. It is expected that the supply pressure on finished steel will ease somewhat after the holiday. On the demand side, with futures fluctuating downward and market trading performance remaining average, there was only a small amount of pre-holiday stockpiling demand. As the Labour Day holiday approaches, markets in various regions are gradually closing, and trading enthusiasm is low, with most maintaining a cautious wait-and-see attitude. Therefore, it is expected that construction steel prices will continue to consolidate weakly tomorrow.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
[SMM Hot Topic] Weak Domestic Demand + Export Diversion Cool the “North-to-South Steel Flow”
Mar 24, 2026 15:54
[SMM Hot Topic] Weak Domestic Demand + Export Diversion Cool the “North-to-South Steel Flow”
Read More
[SMM Hot Topic] Weak Domestic Demand + Export Diversion Cool the “North-to-South Steel Flow”
[SMM Hot Topic] Weak Domestic Demand + Export Diversion Cool the “North-to-South Steel Flow”
As supply and demand for construction steel were not fully matched across different markets, regional supply-demand mismatches created price differentiation, which in turn drove the cross-regional circulation of steel resources. When the regional price spread gradient was appropriate, regions with surplus construction steel capacity and production often shipped excess resources out, thereby rebalancing construction steel resources across regions.
Mar 24, 2026 15:54
[SMM Survey] Construction Steel Production Increased Slightly, and Mill Inventories Continued to Decline
Mar 24, 2026 15:49
[SMM Survey] Construction Steel Production Increased Slightly, and Mill Inventories Continued to Decline
Read More
[SMM Survey] Construction Steel Production Increased Slightly, and Mill Inventories Continued to Decline
[SMM Survey] Construction Steel Production Increased Slightly, and Mill Inventories Continued to Decline
Mar 24, 2026 15:49
Ferrous Metals Expected to Continue Holding Up Well Amid the Middle East Conflict and Long-Term Contract Negotiations [SMM Steel Industry Chain Weekly Report]
Mar 20, 2026 18:30
Ferrous Metals Expected to Continue Holding Up Well Amid the Middle East Conflict and Long-Term Contract Negotiations [SMM Steel Industry Chain Weekly Report]
Read More
Ferrous Metals Expected to Continue Holding Up Well Amid the Middle East Conflict and Long-Term Contract Negotiations [SMM Steel Industry Chain Weekly Report]
Ferrous Metals Expected to Continue Holding Up Well Amid the Middle East Conflict and Long-Term Contract Negotiations [SMM Steel Industry Chain Weekly Report]
This week, ferrous metals fluctuated at highs, with raw material ore and coking products outperforming steel. Against the backdrop of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, ore and coking products held up well, supported by higher shipping costs and transmission from coal and coke as energy substitutes. In the second half of the week, supply and demand data for hot-rolled coil and rebar were released. The increase in rebar inventory slowed markedly; however, hot-rolled coil demand was lower than the same period last year, and the pace of post-holiday recovery was relatively slow, leaving steel as a whole with limited upward momentum, while futures retreated after rapid rise. In the spot market, trading in the Chinese market was average this week.....
Mar 20, 2026 18:30