Top News on China steel and other commodity markets

China's Yangshan copper premium surged to a historical high of $119/tonne as of July 22, up from $45/tonne at the beginning of 2026. The sharp increase indicates that Chinese buyers are paying increasingly higher premiums to secure imported copper, despite the traditional downstream consumption off-

Crude steel production among the 70 countries and regions checked by the World Steel Association (WSA) totaled 931.5 million tonnes over the first half of this year, edging down by a small 0.7% from the same period last year, according to the association's latest release published on July 23.

Thailand's Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties Committee announced on July 21 that it has expanded the scope of its anti-dumping (AD) duties on high-carbon wire rods originating in China, covering products containing a carbon content of 0.66% to less than 0.76%.

According to General Administration of Customs of People's Republic of China (GACC), in June 2026, China exported a total of 485,000 tonnes of aluminum sheets, strips, and foil, rising 10.4% month-on-month and 37.9% year-on-year. Specifically, exports of aluminum strips, and sheets reached 354,000 t

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) finalized on July 23 the implementation of additional tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from dozens of countries and regions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing alleged "forced labor" practices. The action, first proposed on

China's blast-furnace (BF) steelmakers further reined in production during the past week in response to their widened profit losses and still-sluggish steel demand from end-users, Mysteel's latest survey showed.

Inventories of imported iron ore stockpiled at China's 47 major ports tracked by Mysteel increased by 486,900 tonnes or 0.3% on week to 171.13 million tonnes by July 23, ending a three-week decline. Meanwhile, the stocks remained 18.9% higher than the year-prior level.

Mysteel's daily price assessment showed that the national average price for smelter-grade alumina with a minimum purity of 98.6% dropped to 2,744 Yuan/tonne, down 4 Yuan/tonne compared to the previous day.   The downward price trend can be attributed to the offering prices in four of China's five ke

Copper prices dropped in futures and spot markets on July 23, primarily due to rising macro pressures from escalating Middle East conflicts. Spot premiums also generally declined across major markets in China amid weak downstream demand, leading to improving refined copper spot transactions.   China

On July 23, tin prices fluctuated at relatively high levels. According to Mysteel's survey, the transaction price for 1# tin ingot in the Shanghai market (15:30) ranged between Yuan 417,000/t and Yuan 420,000/t, with an average of Yuan 418,500/t, up by Yuan 1,500/t from the previous trading day. In