SHANGHAI, May 12 (SMM) – China’s output of hot-rolled coils and plates will expand in May, due to the recovery from maintenance and switches from cold-rolled products.
The commissioning of a new 1450mm hot-rolling line at Hebei-based Zongheng Iron & Steel will also help bolster output.
An SMM survey showed that 35 steelmakers in China plan to produce a total of 9.34 million mt of hot-rolled coils and plates in May, up 3.1% from the realised output of 9.06 million mt in April.
The output for export will fall sharply to 242,500 mt in May, as the global COVID-19 lockdowns has dealt a blow to foreign demand.
The rest 9.1 million mt will be for domestic sales, marking a significant increase from last month.
