[SMM Sheets & Plates Imports & Exports] China's exports of sheets and plates fell 4% YoY in January-October 2025.

• In January-October, steel product exports rose 7% YoY, while sheets & plates exports fell 4% YoY.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China exported 9.782 million mt of steel products in October 2025, down 683,000 mt MoM, a decrease of 6.5% MoM. Cumulative exports from January to October totaled 97.737 million mt, up 6.6% YoY.
Among these, China exported 5.6089 million mt of steel sheets & plates in October 2025, down 399,600 mt MoM, a decrease of 6.7% MoM. Cumulative exports from January to October reached 56.25 million mt, down 4.4% YoY.

In terms of proportion, China's exports of steel sheets & plates accounted for approximately 51% of total steel exports (including steel billet) from January to October 2025, a decrease of about 10 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, exports of rebar, coiled rebar, and steel billet accounted for approximately 25% of total steel exports (including steel billet) in the first ten months of this year, an increase of about 9 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024.

• In terms of export structure, coated and galvanized products firmly held the "top spot" in China's exports of steel products by variety.

From January to October 2025, the total export volume of coated and galvanized sheets/strips was 25.6399 million mt, an increase of 3.3959 million mt compared to the same period in 2024, representing a 15% growth; the total export volume of silicon steel was 1.266 million mt, an increase of 56,000 mt compared to the same period in 2024, representing a 5% growth; the total export volume of HRC was 20.2645 million mt, a decrease of 5.4023 million mt compared to the same period in 2024, representing a 21% decline; the total export volume of cold-rolled coil (CRC) was 4.279 million mt, a decrease of 344,300 mt compared to the same period in 2024, representing a 7% decline.