[SMM Sheets & Plates Imports and Exports] China's Coated Sheet Exports up 19% YoY, January-July, Philippines Tops with 9% Contribution!

• China's cumulative imports of sheets & plates from January-July decreased by 17%, with a significant drop in coated sheets (strips)

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's cumulative imports of sheets & plates from January to July were 2.8537 million mt, down 17% YoY. By product type, cumulative imports of coated sheets (strips) fell by 40% YoY, galvanized sheets (strips) by 23% YoY, HRC by 22% YoY, and medium-thickness plates by 16% YoY; in addition, cumulative imports of strip steel, cold-rolled, and electrical steel sheets (strips) all showed declines of varying degrees YoY.

• China's cumulative exports of sheets & plates from January to July increased 2% YoY, with a decline in hot-rolled and cold-rolled exports but an increase in other varieties

According to the General Administration of Customs, China's cumulative exports of sheets & plates from January to July reached 42.45 million mt, up 2% YoY. By product type, HRC exports decreased 16% YoY, while cold-rolled coil exports fell 4% YoY; however, other varieties excluding HRC and cold-rolled coils, such as strip, medium-thickness plates, coated/plated sheets (strips), and electrical steel sheets (strips), all showed varying degrees of growth, with coated sheets (strips) and plated sheets (strips) experiencing more significant increases.

• January-July, China's cold and hot rolled exports as a share of total exports were down YoY, while coated and galvanized sheets & plates exports were up 19% YoY

From the perspective of the export structure of sheet & plate varieties, in January-July 2025, the export share of coated (strip) increased from 26% to 29% YoY, medium-thickness plates export share rose from 13% to 14%, and the export share of painted (strip) increased from 10% to 13%;
the export share of HRC decreased from 37% to 31%, the export share of cold-rolled coils remained flat compared to H1 last year, and the export share of strip steel declined from 2% to 2%;

• From January-July, China's coated sheet exports were up 19% YoY, with the Philippines maintaining the top position with a 9% share of export flow

From January to July 2025, China's cumulative imports of coated sheets decreased by 25% YoY, while cumulative exports increased by 19% YoY.

Export flow, according to customs data, for the first 10 destinations of China's coated sheet exports from January to July 2025, accounted for 46% of total exports. Ranked by export volume, these were the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, and others, mainly involving Southeast Asia, South America, and the Middle East.

As anti-dumping measures against China's steel exports continue to increase, the exports of HRC and cold-rolled coils from China have been impacted, showing a YoY decline. However, driven by the growing demand for coated sheets in Southeast Asia and the Belt and Road markets, as well as the competitive pricing of Chinese steel, the exports of coated sheets are still expected to increase further. Nevertheless, with new rounds of anti-dumping "plugging" on the way, will coated sheets follow the same path as cold-rolled and HRC?