en.Wedoany.com Reported - According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China in July 2026, China's exports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) to Russia surged nearly 12-fold year-on-year in the first half of 2026 (January to June), totaling 34,600 tons with a total value of approximately $22.8 million. Compared to 2,960 tons in the same period of 2025, export volume increased by 11.7 times, while export value rose by 6.9 times.
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) is a key flat steel product widely used in machinery manufacturing, pipeline production, and building structures, serving as an important indicator of a country's steel industry activity and manufacturing prosperity. This surge in exports to Russia reflects a sharp rise in demand for Chinese HRC products amid domestic supply fluctuations in the Russian market.
On a monthly basis, June exports reached 4,350 tons, valued at $3.62 million, up 23.6% and 24% from May, respectively. Compared to June 2025, export volume grew by 44.8% and value by 49.2%. The average export unit price in June was $833.1 per ton, up 3.0% year-on-year and up 0.4% month-on-month.
In broader steel categories, China's exports of coated flat steel to Russia reached 184,700 tons in the first half of 2026, valued at $156.5 million, up 19.2% and 18.5% year-on-year, respectively. Exports of stainless steel flat products to Russia totaled 121,730 tons, worth approximately $200 million, while exports of steel fasteners to Russia fell 9.4% year-on-year.
On the Russian domestic production side, Russia's steel rolled product output fell 6.6% year-on-year to 27.2 million tons in the first half of 2026. June output stood at 4.9 million tons, down 0.5% month-on-month but up 0.4% year-on-year. Non-alloy steel ingot and semi-finished product output reached 26.4 million tons in the first half, down 4.4% year-on-year, while pig iron output was 24.3 million tons, down 5.8% year-on-year. Weak steel consumption in the Russian domestic market has further increased export pressure on the country's steel enterprises.
The surge in China's HRC exports to Russia reflects changes in import demand as the Russian market faces declining domestic steel production, and also highlights the increasingly close supply-demand ties between China and Russia in the steel trade sector.
