China’s steel industry is showing signs of a major structural shift as steel production continues to slow, while iron ore imports remain surprisingly strong. This changing trend is also influencing global steel procurement and raw material markets.

China, which produces more than half of the world’s steel, manufactured around 86.63 million metric tons of steel in April 2026. This was 2.8% lower than April last year and marked the country’s weakest April steel output since 2018.

For the January–April period, total steel production stood at nearly 331.12 million tons, reflecting a 4.1% decline compared to the same period in 2025. Weak demand from the property and construction sector continues to pressure the steel industry and overall steel procurement activity.

Despite lower steel production, China’s iron ore imports moved in the opposite direction. During the first four months of 2026, iron ore imports increased by 8%, reaching around 418.6 million tons. This indicates that steelmakers and steel procurement companies are still securing raw materials aggressively, possibly in anticipation of future demand recovery or price movements.

In April alone, China imported nearly 103.9 million tons of iron ore. Although this was slightly lower than March’s 104.74 million tons, daily import volumes actually remained stronger because April had fewer days.