Posted on 23 Mar 2026
Inventories of the five major carbon steel products held by the Chinese steel mills sampled in Mysteel's regular survey declined over March 13-19 after the slight rise during the previous week, with the total volume down by 3% on week to reach 5.35 million tonnes.
The five major steel items comprise rebar, wire rod, hot-rolled coil (HRC), cold-rolled coil and medium plate. During the survey period, inventories of all five steel items slipped by varying degrees.
Inventories of the five major steel products at traders' warehouses in the 132 Chinese cities monitored by Mysteel also moved down over March 13-19 to reach 23.6 million tonnes, lower by a small 1.3% on week but nonetheless ending the continuous rally witnessed over the prior ten weeks, according to the survey.
The decrease was mainly attributed to the further recovery in demand from end-users during the traditional peak season for steel consumption in China over March-April. More end-users have returned to the market for replenishment, and steel sales in the physical market have also improved recently, especially those of long steel.
Over March 12-18, the daily trading volume of construction steel comprising rebar, wire rod and bar-in-coil among the 237 trading houses nationwide under Mysteel's tracking averaged 94,557 tonnes/day, rising by 8,237 t/d or 9.5% from the previous week.
China's finished steel output has continued rise as some domestic steel mills have resumed operations or ramped up production given the improved demand and their healthier profit margins thanks to firmer steel prices.
Mysteel's other survey showed that over March 12-18, total production of the five major steel items among the sampled steelmakers reached 8.4 million tonnes, growing for the third consecutive week by 2.3% on week.
China's finished steel prices remained firm this week, with the national price of HRB400E 20mm dia rebar under Mysteel's assessment reaching Yuan 3,343/tonne ($484/t) including the 13% VAT as of March 18, higher by Yuan 26/t from one week earlier. That of Q235 4.75mm HRC was assessed higher by Mysteel at Yuan 3,317/t including the 13% VAT, rising by Yuan 34/t on week.
Source:Mysteel Global
