China's key surveyed steel enterprises saw slight year-on-year increases in output from medium-thick plate mills, hot strip mills and cold strip mills in July 2026, according to China Iron and Steel Association data.

Output of most major steel plate products declined year on year, with wind power steel plates and boiler container plates posting the largest drops, while shipbuilding plates recorded the biggest output gain of 22.6%. Prices of extra-thick plates and medium-thick plates rose month on month, while prices of other products declined.

Rolling mills production

Medium plate mills produced 6.84 million tonnes of extra-heavy plate and medium plate in July, up 3.8% year on year. Cumulative output during January-July reached 45.91 million tonnes, up 4.0% from a year earlier.

Hot-rolled strip mills produced 16.48 million tonnes in July, up 1.3% year on year. Cumulative output totaled 110.34 million tonnes, down 2.1% year on year.

Cold-rolled strip mills produced 6.79 million tonnes in July, up 1.8% year on year. Cumulative output reached 47.34 million tonnes, up 1.0% from a year earlier.

Major products production and sales

For medium plate mill products, extra-heavy plate output stood at 750,000 tonnes in July, down 12.4% year on year, with sales of 760,000 tonnes at an average price of 4,362 yuan/t, up 28 yuan/t from the previous month. Cumulative output reached 5.40 million tonnes from January to July, down 10.6% year on year.

Medium plate output totaled 6.09 million tonnes in July, up 6.2% year on year, with sales of 6.01 million tonnes at an average price of 4,034 yuan/t, up 9 yuan/t month on month. Cumulative output reached 40.51 million tonnes, up 6.3% year on year.

For hot-rolled strip mill products, medium-wide hot-rolled strip output stood at 6.74 million tonnes in July, up 1.3% year on year, with sales of 6.71 million tonnes at an average price of 3,554 yuan/t, down 66 yuan/t from the previous month. Cumulative output reached 45.41 million tonnes, down 3.3% year on year.

Hot-rolled thin-wide strip output totaled 2.56 million tonnes in July, up 1.3% year on year, with sales of 2.47 million tonnes at an average price of 3,619 yuan/t, down 82 yuan/t month on month. Cumulative output reached 15.53 million tonnes, down 11.1% year on year.

For cold-rolled strip mill products, cold-rolled thin-wide strip output stood at 3.37 million tonnes in July, up 2.6% year on year, with sales of 3.35 million tonnes at an average price of 4,025 yuan/t, down 47 yuan/t from the previous month. Cumulative output reached 23.85 million tonnes, up 0.9% year on year.

Galvanized sheet and strip output totaled 2.32 million tonnes in July, down 1.6% year on year, with sales of 2.27 million tonnes at an average price of 4,837 yuan/t, down 57 yuan/t month on month. Cumulative output reached 16.29 million tonnes, down 0.4% year on year.

Tinplate output stood at 80,000 tonnes in July, down 21.6% year on year, with cumulative output of 680,000 tonnes, down 6.8% year on year. And color-coated sheet output totaled 220,000 tonnes in July, up 2.8% year on year, with cumulative output of 1.40 million tonnes, up 0.7% year on year.