China’s stainless steel exports surged to a record about 485,000 tons in December, achieving both month-on-month and year-on-year growth, according to the latest customs data. The figure marked a historical monthly high, with exports rising 19.7% from November and 4.2% from a year earlier. Cold-rolled coils led the increase, with volumes up by around 47,000 tons month on month.

Despite the strong December performance, China’s total stainless steel exports for 2025 exceeded 5 million tons, up only 0.3% year-on-year, suggesting that shipments were largely concentrated at the end of the year. The December surge occurred ahead of the implementation of a steel export management system on Jan. 1, 2026, which will cover all stainless steel products.

Stainless steel imports totaled about 145,000 tons in December, up 29.3% month-on-month and 1.9% year-on-year, driven mainly by cold-rolled coils wider than 600 mm. Full-year imports fell by 19.1% to nearly 1.52 million tons. Indonesia remained the largest supplier, though annual imports from the country declined 21.6%.