China increased stainless steel production by 2% y/y in May

In May, China increased its production of crude stainless steel by 2 per cent month-on-month – to 3.79 million tonnes. This is according to data from the Stainless Steel Council of the China Iron and Steel Association (CSSC), as reported by MySteel.

Production of 300- and 400-series grades rose by 6.9% and 1.3% respectively compared with April.

Apparent consumption of stainless steel in the country in May stood at 3.11 million tonnes, 1% less than in the previous month.

According to the CSSC, stainless steel imports into China in May totalled 91,000 tonnes, down 46.3% on April and 27.2% year-on-year. Exports for the period reached 415.4 million tonnes (+5.3% month-on-month, but down 5% year-on-year).

In January–May, China produced 17.36 million tonnes of crude stainless steel. Domestic consumption of this product over the five-month period totalled 14.74 million tonnes.

Over the five-month period, total imports of stainless steel into the country reached 634.8 thousand tonnes, whilst exports amounted to over 1.6 million tonnes.

It should be noted that global stainless steel production in the first quarter of 2026 rose by 2.5% year-on-year – to 15.8 million tonnes. Asia produced 13.4 million tonnes in January–April, which is 3.3% more than in the first quarter of 2025. In particular, China accounted for 9.84 million tonnes (+4.3% year-on-year).

For 2025 as a whole, global stainless steel production rose by 2.1% year-on-year – to 64.2 million tonnes, with China’s output for the period standing at 40.87 million tonnes. In 2024, production increased by 7% year-on-year to 62.62 million tonnes.