Posted on 22 May 2026
China's nationwide rebar output over the first four months in 2026 posted a 13.5% on-year fall to 56.84 million tonnes, according to the latest release from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on May 21.
This represented a larger decline compared to the 12.3% on-year drop recorded in the first quarter of this year and marked the lowest cumulative tonnage for the first four months in over a decade, Mysteel Global noted.
In April alone, China produced 15.11 million tonnes of reinforcing bar, with the volume shrinking by 13.4% on year and slightly lower by 2% from March, Mysteel Global calculated based on the NBS data.
Overall rebar demand in the domestic market improved in April, a traditional peak season for long steel consumption in China, but the recovery was weaker compared to previous years.
Daily trading volume of construction steel comprising rebar, wire rod and bar-in-coil among the 237 trading houses sampled by Mysteel averaged 110,383 tonnes/day during April, down by 4.6% from the average for the same month last year.
Total rebar inventories stored in commercial warehouses in 35 Chinese cities and 137 steel mills under Mysteel's coverage stood at 7.28 million tonnes by the end of April, still 13% higher on year despite a 5% drop from a month ago.
Nonetheless, rebar prices were elevated by higher costs and demand recovery in April. The national price of HRB400E 20mm dia rebar was assessed by Mysteel at Yuan 3,415/tonne ($502/t) on April 30, rising by Yuan 83/t from one month before.
China's finished steel output registered 122.63 million tonnes during April, retreating by 1.7% on year, and the total volume in the first four months was 1.3% lower on year at 471.94 million tonnes, according to the NBS.
Source:Mysteel Global
