[SMM Analysis] Freight Rates Surge, Making Deals Difficult for Steel Expor ters Affected by the US-Iran conflict, tight energy supply and sharply higher fuel costs, compounded by exchange rate fluctuations, have continuously pushed up China's export offers in recent days. Compared with the beginning of the month (March 6), SMM HRC prices have been raised by $9/mt; galvanizing prices rose by $11/mt; CRC rose by $5/mt; billet rose by $6/mt; and rebar rose by $6/mt. However, looking back at market transaction performance, deals weakened again recently. According to the SMM survey, ocean freight rates surged sharply, with current freight to the Middle East as high as $50-60. Most outside China clients remained on the sidelines; shipowners also refused to commit tonnage while waiting for the market to stabilize. For China exporters, there were offers but no market, making shipments difficult. Meanwhile, market sources said Hadeed, the GCC's only flat steel producer, raised its May hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices, still related to shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. HRC cargoes previously booked from China and other origins were also being redirected to the west coast, mainly heading to Jeddah Port, bringing high inland transportation costs. As for global steel prices, in India, in addition to rising raw material costs and rupee depreciation, a sudden LNG energy shortage further pushed up production costs, forcing steel mills to maintain a strong willingness to hold prices firm despite the traditional domestic off-season and blocked exports. In the Southeast Asian market, price increases were accepted entirely passively, mainly due to the rigid pass-through of high ocean freight rates by overseas suppliers. Although Southeast Asian buyers hesitated to take orders, they had no choice but to passively accept the increases against the backdrop of persistently high geopolitical logistics costs. At the same time, CIS export offers also rose significantly, benefiting from the intensifying geopolitical conflict in the Middle East and the resulting short-term global supply tightens. In the Middle East market, meanwhile, as war tensions continued to escalate, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz completely disrupted transportation, while freight rates and delivery uncertainty pushed the sheets & plates import markets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia into a complete standstill. Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. The copyright, trademark rights, domain name rights, commercial data information property rights, and other related intellectual property rights of all content contained in this report (including but not limited to information, articles, data, charts, pictures, audio, video, logos, advertisements, trademarks, trade names, domain names, layout designs, etc.) are owned or held by SMM or its related right holders. The above rights are strictly protected by relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, such as the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China, the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, as well as applicable international treaties. Without prior written authorization from SMM, no institution or individual may: 1. Use all or part of this report in any form (including but not limited to reprinting, modifying, selling, transferring, displaying, translating, compiling, disseminating); 2. Disclose the content of this report to any third party; 3. License or authorize any third party to use the content of this report; 4. For any unauthorized use, SMM will legally pursue the legal responsibilities of the infringer, demanding that they bear legal responsibilities including but not limited to contractual breach liability, returning unjust enrichment, and compensating for direct and indirect economic losses. Data Source Statement: (Except for publicly available information, other data in this report are derived from publicly available information (including but not limited to industry news, seminars, exhibitions, corporate financial reports, brokerage reports, data from the National Bureau of Statistics, customs import and export data, various data published by major associations and institutions, etc.), market exchanges, and comprehensive analysis and reasonable inferences made by the research team based on SMM's internal database models. This information is for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice. SMM reserves the final interpretation right of the terms in this statement and the right to adjust and modify the content of the statement according to actual circumstances.

[Operating Rates of Galvanising Producers Continued to Increase]: This week, the operating rate of the galvanizing industry was 53, up 13.94 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices fluctuated this week, and zinc ingots previously price-fixed by galvanising enterprises arrived one after another, leading to a slight increase in zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises.

[SMM Titanium Weekly Review: Titanium Dioxide Showed Signs of Recovery; Diverging Strength Across the Titanium Industry Chain Market This Week] This week, the titanium industry chain in China showed pronounced structural divergence, with the tug-of-war between sellers and buyers across upstream and downstream segments intensifying and cost pass-through facing obstacles. Overall, the sector was characterized by a combination of weak recovery and localized strong support. Trading in upstream titanium ore and titanium slag was sluggish. Downstream processing enterprises tightly controlled costs, with procurement consistently maintained at a pace driven by rigid demand. Coupled with inventory at high levels across the industry, the raw material end remained under pressure, enterprises’ willingness to operate stayed weak, capacity release was constrained, and the supply-demand imbalance continued to stand out. In the midstream titanium dioxide segment, pressure from elevated costs of raw materials and energy sharply increased production-side strain. Enterprises held prices firm and showed a strong willingness to sell, and while domestic trade demand did not see a noticeable increase in volume—relying only on rigid-demand support—overseas markets still demonstrated a certain degree of resilience, leaving the overall market running relatively strong. The downstream sponge titanium and titanium products segments performed impressively: sponge titanium inventories remained low, and, together with robust downstream restocking demand, top-tier enterprises proactively adjusted prices, with enterprises showing strong confidence in holding prices firm. The titanium products market saw stable supply and demand: the supply-side operating rate was steady, while demand-side differentiation was evident. Civilian applications were mainly driven by rigid-demand restocking, while orders in high-end fields such as aerospace and military industries were steady. The market recovered steadily, and differences in the pace across segments of the industry chain also set the tone for subsequent market dynamics.

[Information on Angang and Bensteel Group's Product Price Policy Adjustments for April 2026] Angang's product price policy for April 2026 was adjusted as follows based on the product price policy for March 2026: 1. Hot-rolled: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 2. Pickling: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 3. Cold-rolled: raised by 200 yuan/mt. Automotive steel was raised by 200 yuan/mt. In addition, Angangshen high-strength wire in the 590 MPa, 780 MPa, 980 MPa, and 1180 MPa grades was raised by 200 yuan/mt. 4. Cold-hard: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 5. Galvanizing: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 6. Non-oriented silicon steel: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 7. Color-coated: raised by 100 yuan/mt. 8. Medium-thickness plates: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 9. Wire rod: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 10. Rebar: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 11. Alloy surcharge: please refer to the price list for details. Angang Co., Ltd. Marketing Center Mar 2026 Bensteel Group's product price policy for April 2026 was adjusted as follows based on the product price policy for March 2026: 1. Hot-rolled: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 2. Pickling: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 3. Cold-rolled: raised by 200 yuan/mt. Automotive steel was raised by 200 yuan/mt. 4. Cold-hard: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 5. Galvanizing: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 6. Electrogalvanization: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 7. Non-oriented silicon steel: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 8. Wire rod: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 9. Rebar: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 10. Special steel: raised by 200 yuan/mt. 11. Alloy surcharge: please refer to the price list for details. Bensteel Group Sheets & Plates Marketing Center, Beiying Operation Center Mar 2026

[Galvanising Enterprises Gradually Ramped Up Production This Week, with Higher Operating Rates]: This week, the operating rates of galvanising producers were 39.06%, up 32.22 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices mainly fluctuated this week, transportation returned to normal, long-term contract deliveries from major producers arrived, and enterprises purchased on price dips, with zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises increasing slightly.

Following review and deliberation, Baosteel hereby announces the adjustments to its domestic sales prices for April 2026 based on March 2026 (unless otherwise specified, all prices are tax-exclusive), as follows: I. Hot-rolled: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. II. Plate: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. III. Pickling: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. IV. Cold-rolled: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. V. Hot-dip galvanizing: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. VI. Electrogalvanization: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. VII. Al-Zn-Al-Mg (medium aluminum): Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. VIII. Al-Zn-Al-Mg (high aluminum): Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. IX. Aluzinc: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. X. Color-coated: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. XI. Non-oriented silicon steel: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. XII. Grain-oriented silicon steel: Unchanged. XIII. Seamless pipe: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. XIV. Welded pipe: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. XV. Wire rod: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. XVI. Bar: Base price raised by 200 yuan/mt. XVII. For adjustments to alloy surcharges as well as coating and plating surcharges, please refer to the April 2026 price list. XVIII. The above price adjustment notice shall take effect from the date of publication. XIX. The Marketing Center (Baosteel International) of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. reserves the right of final interpretation of this price adjustment notice. Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. Marketing Center (Baosteel International) March 9, 2026

【Why Does the Zinc Slag Coefficient Remain High?】According to SMM, the overall zinc slag coefficient remained high in February. What are the reasons behind this? How will it perform in the future? ...

[Galvanising enterprises mostly on holiday, operating rates drop significantly]: This week, the operating rate of the galvanizing industry was 16.25%, down 22.35 percentage points WoW. From the raw material side, zinc prices mainly fluctuated this week, but most downstream enterprises were on holiday, with pricing being the main activity and fewer cargo pick-ups. However, large plants had basically received long-term contract goods by the beginning of the week, and zinc ingot inventories at galvanising enterprises increased slightly.

According to SMM survey, the average operating rate of zinc oxide enterprises was 61.3% last week, down 1.2 percentage points.

SHANGHAI, May 15 (SMM) - The average operating rate of zinc oxide enterprises in SMM’s old survey sample was 42.66% in April, down 1.57 percentage points month on month, but up 3.4 percentage points year on year.