China Steel Export Prices Flat: HRC at $542, Pre-Stressed Wire +0.8%
Daily Price Signal & Delta
China Hot Rolled Coil (HRC) holds flat at $542.02/t FOB. Rebar HRB400 and Wire Rod Q235 remain anchored at $553.94/t and $573.29/t. The only upward move: Pre-Stressed Wire (82B) ticks up $7.21/t (+0.8%) to $945.56/t FOB. No movement reported in Profile and Medium Plate today.
Landed Cost Implications
With FOB bases static, ocean freight and tariff bands now drive landed-cost variance. A $30/t freight swing equals a ~5.5% budget shift on HRC to US Gulf destinations.
| Product | FOB Vector | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Rolled Coil | Flat $542.02/t | Lock ocean rates early |
| Rebar / Wire Rod | Flat $554–573/t | Hold and monitor |
| Pre-Stressed Wire | +$7.21/t | Hedge near-term needs |
Use the Landed Cost Calculator to stress-test freight scenarios against each FOB baseline.
Procurement Strike Zone
Long-products buyers (Rebar, Wire Rod, Sections): Hold and Monitor. Prices show zero directional momentum; entering now only adds freight risk to an unchanged FOB base. Flat-goods buyers (HRC, Cold Roll, Mid-Plate): Strong Buy Window for HRC and Cold Roll—spot FOB rates sit at multi-month lows with no downside signal. Execute via RFQ Gateway. Industrial steel buyers (Pre-Stressed, Boiler Plate): Pre-Stressed Wire's +0.8% move warrants a partial forward-fill; Boiler Plate has no prior-day comparison, so wait for the next data release before committing.
Key Prices (USD/ton)
2026-09-15| Product | Spot USD | FOB | Vietnam | Philippines | Thailand | Indonesia | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Speed Wire Rod | $561 ¥3770 | $573.29 | $601 | $605 | $603 | $608 | $606 |
| Rebar | $542 ¥3640 | $553.94 | $582 | $586 | $584 | $589 | $587 |
| Spiral Rebar | $597 ¥4010 | $609.03 | $637 | $641 | $639 | $644 | $642 |
| Hot Rolled Coil | $530 ¥3560 | $542.02 | $570 | $574 | $572 | $577 | $575 |
| Cold Rolled Coil | $591 ¥3970 | $603.07 | $631 | $635 | $633 | $638 | $636 |
| Medium Plate | $602 ¥4040 | $613.5 | $642 | $646 | $644 | $649 | $647 |
| Angle Steel | $523 ¥3510 | $534.58 | $563 | $567 | $565 | $570 | $568 |
| Channel Steel | $526 ¥3530 | $537.56 | $566 | $570 | $568 | $573 | $571 |