Summary of steel exports in May
Overall Import and Export Situation of Steel and Primary Products In May 2026, my country exported 10.341 million tons of steel, an increase of 8.9% month-on-month, with an average export price of US$697.7/ton, a slight decrease of 0.6% month-on-month. From January to May, my country’s cumulative steel exports reached 44.554 million tons, a decrease of 8.1% year-on-year, with an average export price of US$699.0/ton, a slight decrease of 0.4% year-on-year. In May, my country imported 451,000 tons of steel, a decrease of 3.1% month-on-month, with an average import price of US$1,688.0/ton, a decrease of 12.2% month-on-month. From January to May, my country’s cumulative steel imports reached 2.255 million tons, a decrease of 11.7% year-on-year, with an average import price of US$1,771.0/ton, an increase of 5.3% year-on-year.
In May 2026, my country exported 1.815 million tons of primary products (steel billets, pig iron, direct reduced iron, and recycled steel raw materials), a 10.4% increase month-on-month; the average export price was US$461.0/ton, a slight increase of 1.4% month-on-month. From January to May, my country’s cumulative exports of primary products reached 6.767 million tons, a 43.0% increase year-on-year; the average export price was US$452.5/ton, basically unchanged from the same period last year. In May, my country imported 356,000 tons of primary products, a 39.5% increase month-on-month; affected by the increase in direct reduced iron imports, the average import price of primary products was US$382.9/ton, a significant decrease of 47.0% month-on-month. From January to May, my country’s cumulative imports of primary products reached 1.287 million tons, a 68.3% increase year-on-year; the average import price was US$522.9/ton, a 38.0% decrease year-on-year.
In May 2026, my country’s exports of most major steel products increased, with hot-rolled plates being the main driver of export growth. Exports of steel to most major destination countries saw significant month-on-month growth, while exports to some Middle Eastern countries fluctuated dramatically.
