Posted on 23 Jan 2026
Retail inventories of the five major finished steel products in warehouses across China regularly checked by Mysteel rose further and faster over January 16-22, according to Mysteel's latest weekly survey.
The combined stocks of rebar, wire rod, hot-rolled coil (HRC), cold-rolled coil (CRC) and medium plate held by traders in commercial warehouses in the 132 cities Mysteel regularly monitors had risen by 0.8% or 114,600 tonnes on week to reach 14.68 million tonnes as of January 22, Mysteel's survey results showed. This compares with the previous week where stocks of the five had edged up by 0.2% or 25,500 tonnes on week to 14.56 million tonnes as of January 15, as Mysteel Global reported.
Among the five carbon steel products, stocks of rebar, wire rod, CRC and medium plates recorded on-week rises during the survey week, while HRC served as the only product to show an on-week decline in inventories during the same period, the survey results indicated.
Specifically, rebar stocks had climbed by 2.9% or 137,200 tonnes on week to reach 4.88 million tonnes as of January 22, serving as the primary driver for the overall inventory gain this week. Meanwhile, stocks of medium plates had also mounted by 1.6% or 38,800 tonnes on week to 2.54 million tonnes as of the same day.
Accounting mostly for the accumulation in rebar inventories were the climb in rebar output and the contraction of demand for the bars, Mysteel Global noted.
The daily spot trading volume of long steel products comprising rebar, wire rod and bar-in-coil among the 237 trading houses under Mysteel's tracking averaged 84,169 tonnes/day over January 15-21, down significantly by 6.7% or 6,055 t/d on week, as reported.
Conversely, rebar output among the 137 Chinese steel mills Mysteel regularly checks totalled around 2 million tonnes over January 15-21, mounting by a sizable 4.9% or 92,500 tonnes on week, Mysteel's survey results indicated.
Domestic finished steel prices retreated on week amid the weakening fundamentals, with the national price of HRB400E 20mm dia rebar dropping by Yuan 25/tonne ($3.6/t) on week to sit at Yuan 3,317/t including the 13% VAT as of January 21. That of Q235 4.75mm HRC had slipped by Yuan 9/t on week to Yuan 3,298/t including the 13% VAT as of the same day, according to Mysteel's assessment.
Similarly, finished steel inventories held by traders in Mysteel's smaller sample of 35 cities also witnessed a small on-week climb. The same survey showed that stocks had registered 8.68 million tonnes as of January 22, inching up by 0.2% or 21,300 tonnes from the previous week.
Source:Mysteel Global
