Exports of finished steel products from China decreased by 2.6% in January—September, and in September increased by 3.3% compared to August.

From January to September, exports of finished steel products from China amounted to 85.641 million tons, a decrease of 2.6% year-on-year. This is 0.4 percentage points less than the rate of decline recorded in the first eight months of the year, according to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). Since January 2026, China's new export license policy has had a negative impact on exports of finished steel products.

In September, exports of finished steel products from China totaled 10.492 million tons, an increase of 3.3% compared to August and 0.3% year-on-year.

In the first nine months of this year, imports of finished steel products to China amounted to 4.066 million tons, which is 10.5% less than in the same period last year. In September, imports reached 492,000 tons, an increase of 13.4% compared to the previous month, but a decrease of 10.2% year-on-year.