Steel inventories at key Chinese mills rose 6.7% in mid-August from early August, according to data from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).

Inventories at key surveyed mills totaled 18.33 million tonnes in the August 11-20 period, up 1.15 million tonnes from the previous ten days. The figure was 29.6% higher than at the start of the year, 1.1% above the same period last month, 17.0% higher than a year earlier and 11.4% above the same period two years ago.

By region, inventories rose across most areas in mid-August, with only the southwest seeing a decline and the northwest broadly flat from the preceding ten-day period.

Northeast China saw inventories rise 230,000 tonnes, or 11.7%, driven mainly by a 230,000-tonne increase in Liaoning province, up 13.9%.

North China inventories increased 120,000 tonnes, or 2.4%, with Hebei province up 120,000 tonnes (5.3%) and Tianjin up 10,000 tonnes (3.6%), while Shanxi province saw a decline of 20,000 tonnes (-1.2%).

East China inventories rose 790,000 tonnes, or 13.8%, led by Shanghai (up 390,000 tonnes, 77.8%), Shandong (up 210,000 tonnes, 24.7%), Jiangsu (up 140,000 tonnes, 4.4%) and Fujian (up 60,000 tonnes, 17.1%), while Zhejiang saw a decline of 20,000 tonnes (-8.9%).

Central-South China inventories edged up 30,000 tonnes, or 0.9%, with Guangdong province up 230,000 tonnes (42.5%), while Hubei province declined by 210,000 tonnes (-38.4%).

Southwest China inventories fell 20,000 tonnes, or 2.4%, with Yunnan province down 40,000 tonnes (-9.6%), while Chongqing and Sichuan each rose 10,000 tonnes (7.6% and 1.9% respectively).

Northwest China inventories were broadly flat from the preceding ten-day period, with Xinjiang up 10,000 tonnes (9.2%) and Gansu down 10,000 tonnes (-2.4%).