In terms of output, from January to October 2019, the national crude steel output was 829 million tons, up 7.4% year on year; pig iron output was 675 million tons, up 5.4% year on year; steel output was 1.01 billion tons, up 9.8% year on year. In the first half of 2019, China's steel production continued to rise, and fell in the second half. It is estimated that China's crude steel output will be 980 million tons in 2019, an increase of about 7% year on year.
In terms of import and export, China's import and export volume of iron and steel products decreased in 2019. According to the data of the General Administration of customs, from January to November 2019, China imported 10.82 million tons of steel, a year-on-year decrease of 11%; and exported 59.66 million tons of steel, a year-on-year decrease of 6.5%. It is estimated that in 2019, about 65 million tons of steel will be exported, down about 6% year on year; about 12 million tons of imported steel, down about 9% year on year.
In terms of price, China's steel prices fluctuated narrowly in 2019, with the overall level lower than that of the previous year. In 2019, due to the rapid growth of steel production, the domestic steel market overall shows a weak balance. From January to November, the steel price index decreased about 6.3% year-on-year, the long steel material decreased by 5.54%, and the steel plate decreased by 7.18%. The long steel material performed better than the steel plate.
In terms of cost, in 2019, the cost of steel enterprises increased significantly, and the steel industry profit decreased year on year. The main reasons are the sharp increase of imported iron ore price, the fluctuation of coal, coke and other raw fuel prices, and the increase of environmental protection cost.
