China Steel Association: In July, the country's crude stainless steel production of 3.6271 million tons decreased 0.6% month-on-month

The Zhitong Finance App learned that the stainless steel branch of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association published statistics on crude stainless steel production, import, export, and apparent consumption in mainland China in July 2026 as follows: in July 2026, the country's crude stainless steel production was 3,6271 million tons, a decrease of 0.60% month on month; total net exports of stainless steel were 275,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 68,200 tons, a decrease of 19.87%; the apparent consumption of stainless steel was 3.007 million tons, an increase of 0.98% over the previous year.

1. Production volume of crude stainless steel from January to July 2026

In July 2026, the country's crude stainless steel production was 3.6271 million tons, down 0.60% from June 2026. Among them, Cr-Ni stainless steel production was 1.876 million tons, a decrease of 983,000 tons, a decrease of 4.98%; Cr-Mn stainless steel production was 1.028,500 tons, an increase of 793,000 tons, an increase of 8.35%; the output of Cr stainless steel was 671,800 tons, a decrease of 0.2,800 tons, a decrease of 0.42%; and the output of duplex stainless steel was 50,846 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 155 tons, a decrease of 0.30%.

In February and January-July, China imported a total of 8712,000 tons of stainless steel and a cumulative export volume of 2,449,800 tons

In July 2026, China's imports of stainless steel were 116,400 tons, a decrease of 0.3,800 tons, a decrease of 3.16%; a year-on-year increase of 44,400 tons, an increase of 59.45%. From January to July 2026, China's total imports of stainless steel were 881,200 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 29,300 tons, or 3.25%.

In July 2026, China exported 391,400 tons of stainless steel, a decrease of 51,700 tons over the previous year, a decrease of 13.21%; a year-on-year decrease of 24,900 tons, a decrease of 6.00%. From January to July 2026, China's total stainless steel exports were 2,449,800 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 466,500 tons, or 16.00%.

In July 2026, the total net export volume was 275,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 68,200 tons, or 19.87%. From January to July 2026, the total net export volume was 1,578,600 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 437,300 tons, or 21.69%.

3. Apparent consumption of stainless steel from January to July 2026

In July 2026, the apparent consumption of stainless steel was 3.0073 million tons, an increase of 292,000 tons over the previous month, an increase of 0.98%.