China’s steel output fell by 4% y/y in January–April

The country's pig iron production fell by 3.1% y/y

China’s steel output fell by 4.1% year-on-year in January–April, to 331.12 million tons. This is according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as reported by SteelOrbis.

In April alone, Chinese steelmakers produced 83.63 million tons of steel, which is 2.8% less than in the same period of 2025.

Over the first four months, the country reduced pig iron production by 3.1% year-on-year – to 282.28 million tons, and rolled steel production by 1.3% year-on-year – to 471.94 million tons.

In April, China’s pig iron output stood at 70.69 million tons (-3.6% year-on-year). Rolled steel production during this period fell by 1.7% year-on-year to 122.63 million tons.

It should be noted that between January and April 2026, China reduced its rolled steel exports by 9.7% year-on-year * to 34.2 million tons. During the same period, iron ore imports increased by 8% year-on-year to 418.6 million tons.

In April alone, Chinese rolled steel exports fell by 9.2% year-on-year – to 9.5 million tons. Despite a slight increase compared to March, the overall trend remains negative due to weak global demand.

As reported by GMK Center, steel production in China fell below the 1 billion-ton mark in 2025, reaching its lowest level since 2018. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the country produced 960.81 million tons of steel during the period, which is 4.4% less than in 2024. The decline was a result of the protracted crisis in the real estate market, which significantly limited domestic demand for steel products.