December 02, 2008

China in imported record 42.9 million tonne of iron ore in April

China’s latest customs data reveal that China has imported a record 42.9 million tonne of iron ore in April, up by a massive 9.5 million tonne year on year. It said that the April 2008 total is some 4.7 million tonne higher than the previous record, set in February and helps to explain China’s iron ore port stockpiles rising above 61 million tonne for the first time.

Meanwhile, with global steel prices soaring, China’s steel product exports reached 4.8 million tonne in April, the highest monthly total since December. Nevertheless this was still down by 3.2 million tonne year on year. Steel imports of 1.5 million tonne in April were at a similar level to the previous month and down by 0.2 million tonne year on year.