Iron ore futures edge lower amid demand uncertainty
Iron ore futures slipped on Wednesday as steel production curbs and soft demand weighed on sentiment.
Authorities have ordered several mills in Tangshan to cut sintering output between August 25 and September 3, 2025, ahead of a military parade in Beijing. The restrictions, combined with weaker finished steel demand, may prompt mills to schedule maintenance, further dampening iron ore consumption.
China’s top ten steelmaking provinces produced 428.5 mln tons of crude steel in the first half of 2025, down 3.3pct YoY, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Rising portside iron ore inventories, driven by higher exports from Australia and Brazil, also added pressure.
Longer-term concerns for the market include trade protectionism targeting Chinese steel and persistent weakness in the property sector, once a major driver of demand.
On the Dalian Commodity Exchange, the most-traded January iron ore contract fell 0.19pct to 769 yuan (USD 107.1) per ton. Coking coal futures dropped 2.6pct to 1,162.5 yuan (USD 162), while coke slid 2.33pct to 1,678 yuan (USD 234).
On the Shanghai Futures Exchange, rebar fell 0.38pct to 3,132 yuan (USD 436) per ton, HRC eased 0.61pct to 3,402 yuan (USD 474), wire rod inched up 0.15pct to 3,378 yuan (USD 471), and stainless steel slipped 0.81pct to 12,820 yuan (USD 1,786) per ton.
1 USD / 7.17 yuan
| CHINESE STEEL FUTURES | Date: 8/20/2025 | ||
| Material | Closing Price (in yuan) |
Difference from Night Session (pct) | Difference from Previous Morning Session (pct) |
| Wire Rod | 3,378 | 0.15 | 0.30 |
| HRC | 3,402 | -0.61 | -0.41 |
| Rebar | 3,132 | -0.38 | 0.19 |
| Stainless Steel | 12,820 | -0.81 | -0.51 |
| Iron Ore | 769 | -0.19 | -0.26 |
| Coke | 1,678 | -2.33 | -1.82 |
| Coking Coal | 1,162.5 | -2.60 | -2.75 |
Published by news.mesteel.com on 20 August 2025. Read it there ↗