China's steel imports maintained a double-digit year-on-year decline in the first eight months of 2026, while iron ore imports continued to grow, according to the latest customs data.

During January-August, China imported 3.57 million tonnes of steel, down 10.5% year on year. The import value totaled $6.58 billion, down 3.8% from a year earlier, putting the average import price at $1,841.1/t, up 7.5% year on year.

In August alone, steel imports fell 2.4% from the previous month to 434,000 tonnes. The import value edged up 0.02% month on month to $870 million, while the average import price rose 2.5% from July to $2,002.8/t.

China imported 850 million tonnes of iron ore in January-August, up 5.5% year on year. The import value increased 10.3% to $85.36 billion, with the average import price at $101.0/t, up 4.5% year on year.

Iron ore imports in August rose 0.4% month on month to 110 million tonnes, while the import value fell 4.7% to $10.36 billion. The average import price declined 5.1% from July to $95.5/t.