SHANGHAI, Jul 16 (SMM) – China produced some 118.76 million mt of steel bar in the first half of this year, up 19.3% from the same period a year ago, showed data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday July 16. Output in January-May expanded 17.1% on the year. 

Steel bar production registered 22.69 million mt in June, up 29.4% year on year, also speeding up from a rise of 22.9% in May. 

In January-June, domestic production of steel belt, strip of moderate thickness increased 11.9% year on year, to stand at 77.05 million mt. 

Output of wire rods posted 77.38 million mt in the first half of the year, up 14.6% from the same period of 2018.