Posted on 23 Sep 2026
China's export prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) held largely steady during the week of September 14-18, with Mysteel assessing the export price of SS400 3mm commercial-grade HRC at North China's Tianjin port on September 18 lower by a tiny $1/tonne on week at $499/t FOB.
Bolstering the export prices was the potential for restocking demand from overseas end-buyers ahead of China's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday over September 25-27 and the National Day holiday week over October 1-7, industry sources said.
Export offers for HRC at Bayuquan port in Northeast China's Liaoning were heard during the week at around $500/t FOB, with delivery scheduled for late November, while mills in the Zhangjiagang Port area in East China's Jiangsu were offering at around $510/t FOB. Spot transaction prices for HRC at Tianjin Port remained stable at around $498-499/t FOB, according to Mysteel's latest market roundup.
Meanwhile, a deal involving some 60,000 tonnes of Chinese HRC was heard concluded last week at around $550/t CFR India, market sources noted. Based on the indicative freight rate of $60/t, the deal worked out at around $490/t FOB China, as Mysteel Global had reported.
In Vietnam, HRC import prices experienced a mild correction during September 14-18 after the recent rally, with several transactions involving Indonesian hot coils of several thousand tonnes each heard concluded at around $534/t CFR Vietnam. This compares with the transaction price of about $540/t CFR Vietnam observed in the previous week.
By September 18, Indonesian SAE1006 HRC offers were also at around $534/t CFR Vietnam, lower by $6/t on week, suggesting the bid-offer gap had been significantly narrowed.
Meanwhile, availability of Indian hot coil remained relatively tight in Vietnam, as local mills in India were prioritizing domestic project orders, OEM demand and export markets offering better returns, as reported.
Against this backdrop, domestic materials offered by Vietnam's local steelmakers remained competitive in both price and lead time against imports scheduled for year-end delivery, local sources remarked.
The latest data from China's General Administration of Customs showed that China shipped 1.72 million tonnes of HRC (including hot-rolled stainless steel) abroad in August, up by 13% on year. Total Chinese HRC exports over January-August reached 11.2 million tonnes, still down by 24.6% on year, however.
Meanwhile, on September 18 Mysteel assessed China's export price for SPCC 1.0mm cold-rolled coil at Tianjin port lower by $3/t on week at $556/t FOB, snapping a four-week rise.
Source:Mysteel Global
