Iron ore futures fell on Thursday as sluggish steel demand weighed on sentiment.
A seasonal slowdown in consumption, compounded by a tropical storm in southern China, has driven a steady buildup of finished steel inventories at major warehouses, heightening concerns over steelmaking raw material demand.
In Tangshan, a key steelmaking hub, mills have reportedly been asked to temporarily halt output ahead of a military parade in Beijing this September.
Even so, near-term demand appears supported, with steelmakers maintaining high production on the back of healthy profit margins. Data from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) shows member mills produced 2.074 mln tons in the first 10 days of August, up 4.7pct from the previous period. However, finished steel inventories in the same period rose 2pct compared to late July, to 15.07 mln tons, underscoring softening end-user demand.
On the Dalian Commodity Exchange, the most-traded January iron ore contract dropped 2.94pct to 775 yuan (USD 107.9) per ton. Coking coal slid 6.25pct to 1,214 yuan (USD 169) and coke declined 4.32pct to 1,707 yuan (USD 238) per ton.
On the Shanghai Futures Exchange, rebar futures fell 1.82pct to 3,189 yuan (USD 444) per ton, HRC dipped 1.18pct to 3,432 yuan (USD 478), wire rod lost 1.38pct to 3,420 yuan (USD 476), and stainless steel slipped 1.14pct to 13,025 yuan (USD 1,815) per ton.
1 USD / 7.17 yuan
CHINESE STEEL FUTURES
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Date: 8/14/2025 |
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| Material | Closing Price (in yuan) |
Difference from Night Session (pct) |
Difference from Previous Morning Session (pct) |
| Wire Rod | 3,420 |
-1.38 |
-0.94 |
| HRC | 3,432 |
-1.18 |
-0.55 |
| Rebar | 3,189 |
-1.82 |
-1.03 |
| Stainless Steel | 13,025 |
-1.14 |
-0.81 |
| Iron Ore | 775 |
-2.94 |
-2.58 |
| Coke | 1,707 |
-4.32 |
-1.76 |
| Coking Coal | 1,214 |
-6.25 |
-2.55 |
