WEEKLY: Tangshan billet prices pull back on week

After a small recovery earlier, billet prices in Tangshan in North China's Hebei province dropped slightly again last week. On December 28, Mysteel assessed the price of Q235 150mm square billet in the city at Yuan 2,940/tonne ($419/t) EXW including the 13% VAT, lower by Yuan 10/t on week and offsetting the Yuan 10/t price rise over December 15-21, as Mysteel Global reported.

On the supply side, external sales of billets – including export orders – made by the 21 steelmakers in Tangshan and the surrounding area assessed by Mysteel averaged 34,900 tonnes/day over December 19-25, easing by 12.3% or 4,900 t/d on week. The main reason for the lower billet outflow was