[China Excavator Sales in May 2026: 24,794 Units]

According to CISA data released June 4, member mills averaged 2.01 million tonnes/day of crude steel in late May, down 4.6% (80,000 t/d) from mid-May and 4.1% year-on-year. Including non-members, national daily output averaged 2.69 million t/d, down 4.3%. North China led the decline at -8.3% (57,000 t/d). Finished steel output edged up 3.2% to 2.07 million t/d. Despite this, inventories fell: member mill stocks dropped 15.7% to 15.83 million tonnes by May 31, while stocks in 21 tracked cities dipped to 10.22 million tonnes.

Recently, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Natural Resources, and the Shanxi Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening Non-Coal Mine Infrastructure Construction to Promote High-Quality Development," which clearly set the goal of "replacing workers with mechanization and reducing personnel through automation" to promote the upgrading of non-coal mine infrastructure and enhance intrinsic safety levels, and implement tailored measures to advance the quality improvement and transformation of non-coal mines across the province. The Guiding Opinions require that new (renovated or expanded) mines incorporate mechanization and automation equipment applications into the overall planning and design and construct them simultaneously; existing mines shall formulate "one mine, one policy" upgrade and transformation plans, avoiding a "one-size-fits-all" approach; minimize the number of workers entering the mine per shift to the greatest extent, and basically achieve reduced-manning or unmanned operations in hazardous, strenuous, dirty, and difficult positions, thereby curbing all types of production safety accidents and promoting the safe and high-quality development of mines.

[HRC] HRC export prices remained stable day on day today, with transaction prices at 496-504 USD/tonne. A major mill in north China reported that its transaction price fell by more than 5-10 USD/tonne WoW this week, and its prices remained higher than other resources, at around 515 USD/tonne. The presence of tax-exclusive prices in the market has made it more difficult for some regular traders to close deals. It is learned that tax-exclusive prices are even 10 USD/tonne lower than the market’s lowest tax-inclusive prices. [Rebar] Rebar export FOB quotations remained stable today, with transaction prices mostly concentrated at 492-495 USD/tonne. Shipments are mostly scheduled for August, and some steel mills have full order books, with deliveries already scheduled from September to October. According to feedback from some market traders, recent inquiries for wire rod have been moderate, overseas buyers remain cautious and on the sidelines, and their psychological price levels are generally lower than current offers. [Steel Billet] The export transaction price for steel billet was 473-475 USD/tonne today, holding steady day on day. Recently, offers from steel mills in north China were at around 478 USD/tonne, but it is reported that deals cannot be reached for high-priced resources. Currently, most shipments are scheduled for August, with a few in September. It is learned that a few mills in east China have maintenance plans in June and will continue to control their order intake in the short term. In addition, some mills in north China have recently taken new rebar orders, so they are temporarily reducing the volume of steel billet available for ordering.