Chinese coke prices fall amid seasonal decline in steel demand

At the end of last week, prices for Chinese coke fell for the third week in a row. Between May 30 and June 6, they fell by 3.9% to $162.97/t FOT at the port of Rizhao, according to Kallanish.

The exception was June 4, when there was a significant increase in futures for this product and coking coal amid rumors about the offer. In particular, the market discussed a potential reduction in domestic supplies and an increase in the special tax on the use of mineral resources in Mongolia to 20%. There was no official information confirming the latter news, except for the submission of a new draft tax law. However, on June 4, on the Dalian Commodity Exchange, the most popular contract for coking coal for September 2025 rose by 7.19% to the closing price of the previous trading day. However, spot prices for this raw material remained sluggish.

According to SMM, as of the end of this week, some coke chemical enterprises have slightly reduced production due to losses and pressure on stocks. However, most of them have seen a recovery in profit margins.

Coke inventories at Chinese steel mills are at medium to high levels. As the country’s rolled steel market is experiencing an off-season, metallurgists remain cautious about purchases, so support for coke prices has weakened. In the short term, prices for this product may come under downward pressure, and in the long term, they are likely to decline.

According to SMM, the average price of metallurgical coke in the country on June 13 was $162.51/t (including VAT).

It should be recalled that at the end of May, coking coal prices in China fell amid oversupply. The market was affected by a decline in domestic demand for steel in the country.