[SMM Blast Furnace Operating Rate] Pig Iron Production at Steel Mills' Blast Furnaces Peaks, with Pig Iron Production Expected to Decline Later

According to the SMM survey, as of April 30, the operating rate of blast furnaces at 242 steel mills surveyed by SMM was 88.89%, up 0.31 percentage point MoM. The capacity utilisation rate of blast furnaces was 90.94%, up 0.45 percentage point MoM. The daily average pig iron production of the surveyed steel mills was 2.4535 million mt, up 12,000 mt MoM.

During this period, there were no blast furnaces under maintenance, and two blast furnaces resumed production. The production resumptions were mainly concentrated in Hubei and Shanxi. Blast furnaces that were previously under maintenance gradually resumed production, and the pig iron production of steel mills' blast furnaces peaked. Looking ahead to next week, it is expected that two blast furnaces will undergo maintenance, mainly concentrated in Inner Mongolia and Shanxi. Steel mills in north-west and north-east China are under pressure from declining profits, and there is still pressure for steel mills to voluntarily implement production restrictions. It is expected that pig iron production may decline slightly in the later period.