Posted on 21 Oct 2025
China's stainless steel exports contracted in September, with a severe slump in demand from pivotal overseas markets such as Italy and Vietnam driving the decline.
The country's stainless steel exports last month fell to approximately 418,500 tonnes, registering a decrease of 29,400 tonnes or 6.6% from August, according to new data released by the General Administration of Customs (GACC). The figure also represented a year-on-year decline of 34,200 tonnes or 7.6%.
Exports to Italy collapsed by 10,000 tonnes or 56.2% on month, while shipments to Vietnam – the largest buyer of Chinese stainless steel – also plunged by 7,100 tonnes or 15% from August, the data show. The broad-based decline across multiple markets signals a softening in overseas demand, as inventory restocking had concluded, leading to weakened import appetite, Mysteel Global notes.
The drop was primarily driven by reduced exports of stainless cold-rolled coil (CRC), which fell by 20,600 tonnes on month to 197,600 tonnes in September, the GACC data indicate.
China's stainless export landscape remained highly concentrated, with the top 10 destination markets comprising roughly 227,000 tonnes or 54.2% of Chinese mainland's total in September, the data suggest. Their cumulative share in the first nine months of the year stood at around 2.08 million tonnes, or 55% of the total.
Meanwhile, a recent U.S. policy move has cast a shadow over a previously resilient trade route for Chinese stainless steel, effectively stifling the growth of exports to Southeast Asia, Mysteel Global notes. Starting August 7, all goods that the United States believes had been transhipped to avoid applicable duties are now subject to an additional 40% tariff, according to the White House.
Consequently, shipments to Southeast Asian nations saw only a negligible increase of 121 tonnes or 0.1% in September from the previous month, reaching 115,000 tonnes, the GACC statistics show. On a brighter note, exports to the region were still up 11,400 tonnes or 11% year-on-year. For the January-September period, the cumulative volume to the region surged by 186,000 tonnes or 21.6% to around 1.05 million tonnes.
From January to September, China's total stainless steel exports reached approximately 3.78 million tonnes, posting a modest year-on-year increase of 87,800 tonnes or 2.4%, according to the statistics.
In contrast, total imports in the same period saw a significant decline, falling by 309,000 tonnes or 21.4% to 1.14 million tonnes. This trade dynamic resulted in a net export volume of around 2.65 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2025, surging by 396,800 tonnes or 17.7% year-on-year.
In September alone, the country's stainless steel imports edged up to 120,300 tonnes, rising by 3,200 tonnes or 2.7% month-on-month and by a marginal 500 tonnes or 0.4% year-on-year, the GACC data show.
Source:Mysteel Global
