US President Trump delivered a speech in public on Tuesday, April 22, acknowledging that the current tariffs on goods imported from China by the US are excessively high, and he anticipated a significant reduction in the rates...

The 230㎡ Sintering Machine Desulfurization Renovation Project at Xingtai Delong Ironmaking Plant Successfully Commences Operation Since the commencement of construction on December 17, 2024, Longyuan Weide has actively responded to Xingtai Delong's call for quality and efficiency improvement. The project team took the initiative to increase pressure, working around the clock to strive for early completion and benefits. Through the team's relentless efforts and the strong support of Xingtai Delong, the project achieved interface conditions on April 10, 2025, a full two months ahead of the planned schedule, marking a critical milestone. Subsequently, after the equipment shutdown on April 13, the interface work was completed in just five days, 10 days ahead of the expected schedule, achieving a double acceleration in project construction. This once again demonstrated the "Delong Spirit" with the "Longyuan Weide Speed.

This week, the ferrous metals series showed a trend of first declining and then rebounding. On the news front, a flurry of "short articles" was released, reporting that Shanxi may represent state-owned coal mines in reducing this year's task volume, and that detailed rules for crude steel production cuts may soon be officially issued. The market's bullish sentiment quickly surged...

Weekly Review This week, iron ore prices fluctuated repeatedly. From a fundamental perspective, global shipments remained high, but port arrivals dropped significantly, and port inventories continued to decline. On the demand side, in the first half of the week, heavy pollution in Tangshan led to production restrictions on blast furnaces at some steel mills, causing a slight decline in demand. As the weather improved, sintering machines and blast furnaces resumed production, leading to a recovery in demand. Coupled with low iron ore prices, steel mills increased restocking activities. However, frequent news of crude steel production cuts, combined with the expanding impact of anti-dumping measures, resulted in bearish market sentiment, with iron ore prices showing a weak-to-strong trend. In terms of port prices, PB fines in Shandong rose by 1 yuan/mt MoM. Chart: SMM 62% Imported Ore MMi Index Data Source: SMM This week, domestic ore prices saw a slight decline. Domestic ore prices are expected to remain stable with a weak trend next week. This week, prices in Hebei's Tangshan, Qian'an, and Qianxi regions fell by 1-5 yuan/mt, while prices in west Liaoning's Chaoyang, Beipiao, and Jianping dropped by 5-10 yuan/mt. Prices in east China decreased by 30-49 yuan/mt. After the conclusion of an important meeting this week, some steel mills in the Tangshan area that had undergone maintenance gradually resumed production. Coupled with low raw material inventories, this provided support for local prices. Resources at mines and beneficiation plants remained tight, and the slow progress of resumption of work and production offered some support for local iron ore concentrate prices. On the demand side, as blast furnaces gradually resumed production, local iron ore concentrate prices were further supported. In west Liaoning, iron ore concentrate prices recently saw a slight decline, with 66% grade wet basis ex-factory prices excluding tax at 720-730 yuan/mt. After the Two Sessions, local mines and beneficiation plants gradually resumed normal production. However, according to local sources, the provincial emergency management department is expected to strengthen safety inspections during its visits to local mines from the 18th to the 20th of this month. On the demand side, local steel mills mainly maintained normal production and purchased as needed. In east China, mines and beneficiation plants mostly maintained normal production, with production and sales aligned and no significant inventory pressure. In Shandong's Linyi area, mines and beneficiation plants are expected to resume production soon, which may ease the tight supply of local iron ore concentrates. Outlook for Next Week For imported ore: Macro policies are in a vacuum period, and price trends mainly depend on fundamentals. With shipments from Australia and Brazil gradually recovering, port arrivals are expected to increase significantly. On the demand side, as the peak season arrives, steel demand still has room to grow. Additionally, falling coke prices and improved steel mill profits are accelerating pig iron production growth, supporting iron ore demand. However, the delayed implementation of crude steel production cut policies is limiting the rebound potential of iron ore prices. Overall, iron ore prices are expected to continue upward next week, but the increase may be limited. For domestic ore: Overall, the tight supply of domestic iron ore concentrates persists, with a strong sentiment to stand firm on quotes. Recent market rumors about crude steel production cuts have led to bearish market sentiment. In the short term, domestic iron ore concentrate prices are expected to remain stable with weak fluctuations. Click to View the SMM Metal Industry Chain Database

The Cornerstone Plan 2.0 poses a question on how iron resources should adapt in terms of variety and form to the low-carbon transformation trend in the steel production process in the future.

According to the inventory data tracked by SMM, iron ore inventories across 10 major ports in China increased 1.7% WoW to 76.9 million mt last week.

The premiums of pellets dropped slightly last week, while those of lumps rose continuously.

In September, the average domestic ore price index increased by 52 yuan/mt. Since mid-September, some regions issued plans to combat air pollution in autumn and winter.

Tangshan’s iron ore concentrate market remained stable, while iron ore futures fluctuated widely, and steel transactions were sluggish.

Last week, pellet premiums declined slightly, while lump premiums continued to rise. The continuous rise in lump premium is mainly due to the tight supply of sintered ore at some steel mills driven by production restrictions of sintering machines in Tangshan, growing the use proportion of lump. Recently, the production of domestic pellets has decreased, and the price of pellets rose, improving the cost performance of lump.