Posted on 24 Jun 2026
Crude steel production among China's top 10 steelmaking provinces and autonomous regions declined by 3.5% on year to 301.89 million tonnes during the first five months of this year, according to new data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released on June 22.
The decline was slightly smaller than the 3.9% fall in China's total crude steel output over January-May, which totaled 415.53 million tonnes, as Mysteel Global reported. Output in the top 10 regions accounted for 72.7% of the country's total crude steel production during the period, Mysteel Global calculated based on the NBS data.
Over January-May, nine of the top 10 regions recorded on-year declines in crude steel output, with Shanxi posting the sharpest drop of 8.5%, slightly narrower than the 9.9% decline seen in January-April. Meanwhile, Hebei province, China's largest steelmaking hub, saw output fall by 4.2%, widening from a 3% decline in January-April.
Although the NBS does not provide commentary alongside its data, the overall decline in crude steel output across major producing regions over the past five months is consistent with China's ongoing efforts to control steelmaking capacity this year, Mysteel Global understands.
For May alone, Hebei province recorded an 8.7% on-year decline in crude steel output, compared with a 2.6% fall in April. This was also reflected in the province's steel PMI, which dropped by 4.2 points on month to 53.1 in May, with the sub-index for production falling sharply by 9.7 points to 54.9, as reported.
The Hebei Metallurgical Industry Association attributed the decline to continued efforts by the industry to rein in production and optimize product structure when releasing its May steel PMI on June 1.
Indeed, in late April, the province issued interim rules offering rewards for reporting illegally added steelmaking capacity, as Mysteel Global reported. Meanwhile, Hebei is also accelerating the upgrading of its steel industry toward higher value-added and specialized products.
For example, Tangshan Zhengfeng Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., a local producer specialized in angle steel and channel steel, is investing Yuan 422 million ($58 million) in a new production line at its Tangshan site to produce 200,000 t/y of high-strength stainless steel angle products.
Zhixin Electromagnetic Materials Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of major Chinese steelmaker Shougang Group, is investing Yuan 2 billion to add 100,000 t/y of high-end grain-oriented electrical steel in Qian'an city in northeastern Hebei, Mysteel Global learned.
Source:Mysteel Global
