China's crude steel output falls 6.4% on year to 88.3 mil mt in March

China's crude steel production fell 6.4% on the year to 88.3 million mt in March, data from the country's National Bureau of Statistics showed April 18.

Calculated on a daily basis, the output had risen 6.4% on the month to 2.848 million mt/day, according to the NBS data.

China's pig iron output fell 6.2% on the year to 7.16 million mt in March, but the daily figure rose 3.1% on the month to 2.31 million mt/day.

China's pig iron and crude steel output in the first three months totaled 200.91 million mt and 243.38 million mt, respectively, down 11% and 10.5% on the year, the NBS data showed.

The on-the-month rise in pig iron and crude steel output in March was in line with market expectations as steel mills in northern China ramped up production after the winter steel output cuts ended March 15.

Market sources expect China's crude steel output to continue rising in April although the new COVID-19 outbreak would likely keep the upward momentum in check.