Logo

Iron ore falls on China steel output curbs, trade uncertainty

Iron ore futures slid on Monday as renewed concerns over demand weighed on the market, pressured by output restrictions in top consumer China’s major steel production hub of Tangshan and lingering uncertainty over U.S. trade tariffs.

The most-traded September iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) TIO1! ended daytime trading 0.68% lower at 731 yuan ($101.92) a metric ton.

The benchmark August iron ore (SZZFQ5) on the Singapore Exchange dipped 0.37% to $95.5 a ton, as of 0745 GMT.

Steelmakers in northern China’s Tangshan city have received notice for environmental protection-related production control, information provider Tangshan Baochun Data said in a note on its WeChat account on Saturday.

Some local mills have undertaken maintenance on parts of their sintering equipment, Tangshan Baochun said, while analysts noted that the move is expected to dampen demand for iron ore.

Additionally, markets remain on edge as the U.S. deadline on trade deals nears, ANZ analysts said in a note.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is close to finalising several trade agreements and will notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9, with those rates scheduled to take effect on August 1.

Vietnam, China’s top steel export destination, has imposed an anti-dumping levy of up to 27.83% on some steel products from China after a temporary tariff expired.

However, resilient near-term demand for iron ore, supported by strong steel margins, helped limit further price declines.

Average daily hot metal output, a gauge of iron ore demand, still hovered at 2.41 million tons, as of July 3, and were higher than the same period a year before, despite signs of softening, data from consultancy Mysteel showed.

Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE recorded losses, with coking coal NYMEX:ACT1! and coke (DCJcv1) down 1.76% and 0.94%, respectively.

Steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell. Rebar RBF1! dipped 0.68%, hot-rolled coil EHR1! dropped 0.62%, wire rod (SWRcv1) fell 0.99% and stainless steel HRC1! lost 0.94%.
Source: Reuters



Source

Related News

MMI Daily Iron Ore Index Report July 29 2025

2 hours ago

Copper prices ease on caution amid tariffs talks

1 hour ago

Trump’s tariff threat could boost domestic copper ...

37 minutes ago

EU’s pledge for $250 billion of US energy imports ...

2 minutes ago

China’s shrinking gasoil exports mitigate impact o...

30 minutes ago