Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Sep 16)

[Sheets & Plates] Hot-rolled coil and other sheets & plates export prices rose $2/mt WoW today, with HRC transaction prices concentrated in the $491-494/mt range. The Bayuquan Port in Northeast China has recently tightened inspections on port departures, which has also provided a favorable boost to steel mills in the Northeast. Recent export transactions for sheets & plates are reportedly improving, mainly flowing to Türkiye, India, and the Middle East markets.

On September 14, the bar workshop of Tiansteel's rolling mill reported another success: the first trial rolling of 20C carbon-controlled round steel for tube piercing was completed successfully, with all product performance and quality indicators meeting client requirements. This marks a further improvement in the company's ability to support clients' differentiated demands. 20C carbon-controlled round steel for tube piercing is mainly used in precision tube processing and high-end machinery manufacturing. The steel grade requires strict carbon content control and high material stability, making it a high-value-added premium product that aligns with the industry's trends toward low-carbon and refined development and holds strong market potential. To effectively capture market share and enhance the company's product competitiveness, the rolling mill, sales department, finance department, production technology department, steelmaking plant, and other units worked together. The sales department accurately assessed segmented market demand, proactively reached out to clients, and pushed new product orders forward. The production technology department took the lead in organizing special seminars to determine dedicated production processes and control points suited to the product specifications. The finance department carefully calculated costs and benefits to provide data guidance for trial production. The rolling mill and steelmaking plant, together with the production technology department, carried out lean collaborative efforts, refining quality control periods at each stage, optimizing production process parameters, and strictly controlling composition deviations and performance indicators. During the trial production process, operators at each position strictly followed process operation standards, monitored equipment operating conditions and various process parameters in real time, dynamically optimized and adjusted production conditions, and achieved full-process closed-loop refined control. The dimensional accuracy and appearance of the trial-rolled round steel all met the client's technical requirements.

[Steel Billet] Domestic billet export FOB prices edged up by $1/mt today, with Jiangyin Port quotations at $460–465/mt.According to market research, overseas demand is showing signs of gradual recovery, but export billet quotations currently have limited competitiveness, making deals relatively difficult to conclude. By contrast, billet has recently performed more strongly in the domestic market than in the export market.