China Market Insights

China Stainless Steel Price & Inventory Reports

Weekly price and inventory notes for buyers comparing stainless steel grades, market availability, and China sourcing timing.

May 20, 2026

Stainless Steel Prices, Inventory & Insights in China from May 11th to May 15th 2026

Last week, stainless steel prices in the Wuxi market continued to decline. Previously, there was a strong bullish sentiment in the market, expecting prices to reach US$2510/MT; however, after surging post-holiday, prices fell sharply, even dropping below the US$2360/MT mark. The price-supporting sentiment among steel mills and traders vanished entirely, leading to a continuous downward trend. As of this Friday, the main stainless steel contract price fell by US$37/MT from last week to US$2345/MT , a decrease of 1.65% . Last week, cold-rolled and hot-rolled 304 spot prices showed a weak downward trend. As of Friday, the mainstream base price for 4-foot cold-rolled stainless steel 304 in the Wuxi area was quoted at US$2345/MT, down US$22/MT from last week's price; the hot-rolled stainless steel price was quoted at US$2330/MT, down US$7/MT from last week. During the week, spot prices did not closely follow the significant fluctuations of futures prices. Because steel mills opened with high prices and spot merchants had high holding costs, it was difficult for overall prices to drop deeply. It wasn't until Thursday, when Tsingshan stainless steel 304 opened with a US$30/MT drop, that market quotations became chaotic, with most merchants dropping another US$ to take orders. The price gap between cold and hot rolled /MT further narrowed, and the previous price-supporting mentality visibly loosened.

Apr 29, 2026

Stainless Steel Prices, Inventory & Insights in China from Apr 20th to Apr 24th 2026

Latest Stainless Steel Market Dynamics: Nickel Prices Continue to Rise, Indonesia's Tsingshan Chases the Rally, Cumulative Price Increase Nears US$100/MT April 27th: LME Nickel rose by $15 from the previous trading day. LME Nickel opened at $19,090, reached an intraday high of $19,540, a low of $19,050, and finally closed at $19,140, up 0.08% from the previous trading day. The Middle East crisis sparked economic and demand concerns, dragging metals lower, but LME Nickel maintained an upward trend. The market is mainly concerned that Indonesia's nickel supply is already experiencing a shortage of the sulfur required for nickel production.

Mar 26, 2026

Stainless Steel Prices, Inventory & Insights in China from Mar 9th to Mar 22nd 2026

Overview: Last week, the stainless steel market generally operated on the weaker side, with the price center of gravity continuing to shift downward and bearish factors dominating. The US dollar index continued to strengthen, exerting significant downward pressure on the non-ferrous metals and stainless steel sectors; cost-side support loosened slightly, weakening its overall backing. Steel mill production schedules in March returned to high levels, resulting in a generally loose market supply. Although social inventories have been depleting for two consecutive weeks, the pace of destocking has been sluggish. The release of rigid downstream demand is insufficient, and purchasing willingness remains weak. Under the weight of multiple overlapping pressures, both the futures and spot prices of stainless steel continued their weak downward trend. (I) Futures Market Nickel prices and stainless steel futures fluctuated and weakened. As of the close on Friday, March 20, the most active stainless steel contract 2603 finally closed at US$2062/MT, marking a cumulative weekly drop of US$18.32, or a decline of 0.88%. The most active Shanghai Nickel contract closed at US$19525, a decrease of 2.75%.

Feb 6, 2026

Stainless Steel Prices, Inventory & Insights in China from Jan 26th to Feb 6th 2026

Stainless steel futures prices fell weakly last week. At the beginning of the week, stainless steel prices fell back after hitting a high and continued to move lower; on Friday, prices dropped on heavy volume, ending the phased upward trend. Starting next week, most downstream sectors will enter the Spring Festival holiday, and overall transactions are weak. On the demand side, attention should be paid to the intensity of domestic macro policy implementation. The main stainless steel futures contract closed at US$2053/MT last week, with a weekly price drop of 3.97% and a weekly high of US$2058/MT ; stainless steel spot prices fell by US$22/MT . There were many disturbances in the macro news during the week, causing huge market volatility, and stainless steel followed nickel prices down sharply at the end of the week. Stainless steel 300 Series: Futures and Spot Prices Consolidate Weakly, Market Enters "Spring Festival Seasonal Inventory Accumulation Channel"

Jan 28, 2026

Stainless Steel Prices, Inventory & Insights in China from Jan 12th to Jan 25th 2026

Last week, stainless steel prices in the Wuxi market ran on the stronger side. During the week, stainless steel futures prices rose alongside an increase in open interest, though the momentum for market transactions appeared insufficient. As of this Friday, the price of the main stainless steel contract rose by US$65/MT from last week to US$2245/MT , an increase of 3.15% . The following is a look at last week's market performance and the outlook for the future market. On January 26th, stainless steel futures rose by 0.51% to close at US$2245/MT . Tsingshan Indonesia once again raised its export quotes—the export quote for stainless steel 304 was increased by $30/MT. This marks the fourth consecutive price hike in January 2026, with a cumulative increase of $180/MT within one month.