SunSirs: Brief Overview of the Color Coated Steel Sheet Market Rrends in December (December 1- 30)

Price trend:

According to SunSirs' commodity price analysis system, the price of color coated steel sheets fell slightly this month. On December 1st, the market price of color coated steel sheets was 6,400 RMB/ton; on December 30th, the price was 6,350 RMB/ton. The average price of color coated steel sheets this month decreased by 1.781% compared to the beginning of the month, and decreased by 7.299% compared to the same period last year.

Market Analysis

Galvanized Steel Sheet: The price of galvanized steel sheets experienced a slight decline this month. On December 1st, the price of galvanized steel sheets was 4,142 RMB/ton, and on December 30th, the price was 4,068 RMB/ton, a decrease of 1.786% compared to the beginning of the month and a decrease of 7.165% compared to the same period last year. Downstream demand in the coated steel market remained lukewarm, resulting in weak market transactions.

In November 2025, China's total imports of coated steel sheets (strips) amounted to 75,400 tons, representing a month-on-month increase of 19.27% and a year-on-year decrease of 11.94%. From January to November 2025, China's total imports of coated steel sheets (strips) reached 831,800 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 18.7%. Imports of galvanized steel coils primarily serve high-end domestic demand that cannot be met by domestic production or where domestic production costs are too high. However, the current overall demand for galvanized steel coils in the domestic market is contracting, and domestic galvanized products can meet demand in terms of quality, cost, and supply.  Therefore, import volumes are naturally being squeezed. In the short term, if domestic real estate and manufacturing demand do not recover significantly, import volumes may continue to hover at low levels.

It is noteworthy that while export volume increased, the average export price continued to decline. From January to November 2025, China's total exports of coated steel sheets and strips reached $125.78 billion, but the average export price in November reached a multi-year low of $629.49 per ton, a year-on-year decrease of 80% compared to the average export price of $1,137.6 per ton at the beginning of 2023. The decline in export unit price is a concentrated manifestation of the pressure currently faced by China's galvanized steel sheet and coil industry, which is trapped in a path dependency of "scale expansion." To break this situation, the key lies in shifting from "price competition" to "value competition," which requires systemic breakthroughs in technology, branding, and green transformation.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, the total export volume of color coated steel sheets and strips from January to November 2025 reached 8.6397 million tons, with an average export price of $664.29 per ton. The top twenty exporting countries accounted for a total of 5.391 million tons, representing 62.39% of the total. Among these top twenty countries, Russia ranked first in terms of average export price per ton at $793.31 per ton. The top five countries were: Russia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Nigeria.

Overall consumption of color coated steel coils is projected to decline in 2025. Based on production data for the first eleven months, output decreased by approximately 2.3% compared to 2024 and by about 10.7% compared to 2023, indicating a gradual decline in production over the past three years. However, export data shows a positive trend, with a year-on-year increase of approximately 22.2% in 2024 and a year-on-year increase of approximately 23.7% in the first ten months of 2025.  Furthermore, the total export volume in the first ten months of this year has already exceeded the total for the entire year of 2024. The increase in exports coupled with the decrease in production suggests a decline in domestic demand.

Market Forecast:

Specifically, the market trend in December was stable but slightly weaker. Temporary price increases in futures markets led to upward adjustments in spot prices and a brief improvement in sales, but this did not last long, and the market quickly returned to a sluggish state. Looking ahead, although national galvanized steel sheet and coil inventories have shown a slow downward trend recently, they remain higher than the same period in previous years, and some mainstream markets still have room for inventory increases. Therefore, the short-term pressure on galvanized steel sheets and coils is excessive, and prices still have room for correction. It is expected that domestic galvanized and color-coated steel coil prices will continue to fluctuate and weaken next month.

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