China’s crude stainless steel output in 2020 rose by 2.51pc from the prior year to 30.14mn mt, according to the Stainless Steel Branch of the China Special Steel Enterprises Association data.
Despite the COVID-19 outbreak early in year, the Chinese economy registered a better recovery than other countries. End-user demand rose as China focused on infrastructure development. As a result, apparent consumption in the year increased by 6.46pc over the year to 25.61mn mt.
In 2020, China imported 1.80mn mt of stainless steel, a rise of 61.33pc from 2019. Of the total imports, 863,900mt were stainless steel billets, a surge of 468.15pc from the prior year. Exports were at 3.41mn mt, down by 6.95pc from 2019, as many countries across the globe struggled to bring the pandemic under control. The resulting lockdowns impacted economic growth and stainless steel consumption.
Product wise output
| Product | Output | Y-o-Y Pc change |
| Cr-Ni steel (300 series) | 14.38mn mt | 6.58 |
| Cr steel (400 series) | 5.92mn mt | 7.68 |
| Cr-Mn steel (200 series) | 9.64mn mt | -5.68 |
| Duplex stainless steel | 191432mt | 5.8 |