Freshly‑released July customs‑statistics and weekly export‑tracking data dominated market discussions over the past week. July finished‑steel exports stood at 10.15 million tons, lifting January‑July cumulative finished‑steel exports to 65.02 million tons, a year‑on‑year drop of 6.3%. Plate products (HS 7208 hot‑rolled coil, HS 7209 cold‑rolled coil, HS 7210 coated sheet and medium plate) registered July shipments of 6.02 million tons, down 1.8% year‑on‑year. Coated‑sheet monthly exports remain within 750 000‑820 000 tons, with export mix continuing to tilt toward high‑value PPGI, PPGL and weather‑resistant colour‑coated grades for construction and photovoltaic projects.

This week the market digested the real‑world impact from Japan’s provisional anti‑dumping duties on Chinese hot‑dip galvanized products, which entered into force August 8. Market feedback shows ordinary GI cargoes for Japan have basically halted new‑order placement. A small volume of displaced galvanized resources are diverting to domestic circulation and third‑country overseas markets, while high‑value specialized coated grades remain largely unaffected by this restriction. Existing EU steel safeguard measures keep raising entry thresholds for Chinese coated plates, pushing exporters to further focus on Middle‑East, African and Southeast‑Asian emerging‑market destinations.

On the price front, China’s FOB price competitiveness continues to underpin export enquiries. August‑shipment SS400 hot‑rolled‑coil FOB offers fluctuate within USD 480‑490 per ton, still under prevailing offers from Türkiye and India. Domestic hot‑rolled and cold‑rolled spot prices move in narrow ranges. Downstream fabricators stick to just‑in‑time purchasing amid summer off‑season. Major mills made mild adjustments to galvanized and colour‑coated ex‑factory prices this week; accumulated social inventories limit large‑scale price rallies.

Weekly shipment monitoring shows export‑oriented cargo deliveries rebounded after earlier typhoon disruptions. For Aug 11‑17, China’s steel export shipments hit 2.1361 million tons, rising 3.8 % week‑on‑week. Nevertheless, external demand momentum stays muted: overseas crude‑steel output keeps rising year‑on‑year, siphoning partial global purchasing volume. Global manufacturing‑PMI new‑export‑order sub‑index remains weak, pointing to restrained overseas buying appetite.

Looking ahead, export‑focused mills face approaching Q4 overseas‑off‑season inventory pressure. Market consensus holds two main directions will prevail: expanding market share in low‑barrier emerging markets, and lifting the proportion of high‑margin upgraded coated products to absorb tariff‑related costs and preserve profit margins.

Sources：

https://www.sci99.com/news/55135349.html

https://www.asianmetal.com/news/2355315/Japan-imposes-provisional-anti-dumping-duties-of-up-to-55-on-Chinese,-South-Korean-galvanized-steel

https://www.100ppi.com/news/detail-20260810-6048519.html