Domestic ferrosilicon prices trended sideways early this week then rose unilaterally, jumping 0.71% on April 23 to 5448 yuan/ton. Supported by tight blue charcoal supply, stable downstream demand, low inventory and higher steel mill bidding prices, the price center shifted up 38 yuan/ton weekly.

This week, domestic medium and thick plates prices showed a "unilateral upward then stable" trend, up 0.30% weekly. Core drivers include rising billet cost support, rebounding downstream demand and low inventory.

This week, galvanized sheet coil prices slightly rose, supported by raw material cost increases and steel mill guidance adjustments. Hot coil futures fluctuated strongly, with spot prices following. March 2026 galvanized exports increased month-on-month, but April exports may not grow significantly. Short-term domestic prices may still have upward room.

CISA's mid-April 2026 data shows steel enterprises' crude steel (21.11mt, +0.4% m-o-m daily), pig iron (18.98mt, +0.3% m-o-m daily) and steel (15.05mt, +3.1% m-o-m daily) output; steel inventory (18.63mt, +6.4% vs early April, +11.5% y-o-y) is high with slow demand recovery, seasonal supply-demand mismatch and structural contradictions.