【SMM Blast Furnace Operating Rate】Blast Furnaces Gradually Resume Production, Pig Iron Production Continues to Rise

Published: Mar 26, 2025 14:00

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According to the SMM survey, as of March 26, the operating rate of blast furnaces in 242 steel mills surveyed by SMM was 87.47%, up 0.22 percentage points MoM. The capacity utilization rate of blast furnaces was 89.23%, up 0.65 percentage points MoM. The daily average pig iron production of the sampled steel mills was 2.4085 million mt, up 17,600 mt MoM.

According to the SMM survey, as of March 26, the blast furnace operating rate of 242 steel mills surveyed by SMM was 87.47%, up 0.22 percentage points MoM. The blast furnace capacity utilization rate was 89.23%, up 0.65 percentage points MoM. The daily average pig iron production of the sample steel mills was 2.4085 million mt, up 17,600 mt MoM.

During this period, there were no new blast furnace maintenance activities, and 5 blast furnaces resumed production. The resumed blast furnaces were mainly concentrated in Hebei and Shandong regions. Currently, steel mill profits have improved, and the overall production willingness of steel mills is moderate. Some blast furnaces that underwent maintenance earlier resumed production as planned, and pig iron production showed an upward trend.
Looking ahead to the next period, according to SMM statistics, there will be no blast furnace maintenance activities, and 4 blast furnaces are expected to resume production. The resumption activities will mainly be concentrated in Hebei, Liaoning, and Xinjiang regions. However, considering that some regional steel mills have recently indicated production cuts, new blast furnace maintenance plans may be formulated, and the overall pig iron production increase may fall short of expectations.

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.

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