<article><p class="lead">China's production, imports and consumption of stainless steel rose in 2020, according to data by China's special steel enterprise association. </p><p>The country produced 30.14mn t of crude stainless steel in 2020, up by 2.51pc from 2019. </p><p>Output of the 300 series stainless steel, which contains chrome and nickel, increased by 6.58pc on the year to 14.38mn t in 2020, accounting for 47.71pc of China's total production. This share increased by 1.82pc from 2019. </p><p>Production of the 400 series stainless steel, which contains chrome, rose by 7.68pc from a year earlier to 5.93mn t, and accounted for 19.66pc, up by 0.94pc on the year. </p><p>Output of the 200 series stainless steel, which contains manganese and chrome, declined by 5.68pc year on year to 9.64mn t in 2020 and accounted for 32pc, down by 2.78pc from 2019. </p><p>China produced 191,432t of duplex stainless steel last year, up by 5.8pc from 2019. </p><p>China's stainless steel imports totalled 1.81mn t in 2020, up by 61.33pc year on year, including a 468.15pc rise in imports of billet that totalled 863,900t. Exports of stainless steel dropped by 6.95pc from 2019 to 3.42mn t in 2020. </p><p>The country's apparent consumption of stainless steel was 25.61mn t in 2020, up by 6.46pc from a year earlier. </p><p>China is projected to produce 32mn t of stainless steel in 2021, up by more than 6pc from 2020. This is expected to boost the country's ferro-chrome and ore consumption and increase imports in 2021 following falls last year.</p></article>
