Posted on 05 Jun 2026
Retail stocks of the five major carbon steel items stockpiled in the commercial warehouses across China that Mysteel regularly monitors declined for a twelfth consecutive week over May 29-June 4, the results of Mysteel's latest weekly survey revealed.
As of June 4, the total inventories of rebar, wire rod, hot-rolled coil (HRC), cold-rolled coil (CRC) and medium plate held by traders in the 132 cities under Mysteel's tracking had edged down by 1.1% or 209,600 tonnes on week to 18.66 million tonnes, the survey results showed.
The destocking pace remained largely steady on week, picking up slightly over the past few days because recovering market sentiment prompted some end-users to replenish steel stocks from the market, Mysteel Global noted.
This has also lifted the average spot trading volume this week, though the level still hovered at a low level. For instance, the tonnage of rebar, wire rod and bar-in-coil traded among the 237 trading houses Mysteel checks averaged 94,620 tonnes/day over May 28-June 3, recovering by some 10% or by 8,641 t/d from the level one week prior.
All five finished steel items posted on-week declines in stocks, with those of rebar and medium plates contributing the most to the inventory drawdown, the results of the survey indicated.
Specifically, rebar inventories thinned by 1.1% or by 80,700 tonnes on week to 7.39 million tonnes as of June 4, while stocks of medium plates slid by 2.7% or 66,600 tonnes on week to 2.42 million tonnes as of the same day.
Finished steel prices stayed largely steady on week as higher raw material prices provided some support from the cost side, sources noted, offsetting some of the downside pressure stemming from sluggish seasonal demand.
On June 3, Mysteel assessed the national price of HRB400E 20mm dia rebar at Yuan 3,421/tonne ($505/t) including the 13% VAT, down by a tiny Yuan 1/t on week, while the average price of Q235 4.75mm HRC nationwide rose by Yuan 2/t on week to Yuan 3,423/t including the 13% VAT.
In contrast, finished steel inventories held by traders in Mysteel's smaller sample of 35 cities rose slightly over the week. The same survey shows that the tonnage totaled 11.3 million tonnes as of June 4, up by 0.1% or by 16,600 tonnes from May 28.
Source:Mysteel Global
