Dear friend, the following is our monthly market report update, for your reference.
Overall Market in May: Raw material and tinplate markets have seen overall price increases. With the peak consumption season approaching, further price fluctuations are expected.
During May 5–8, the RIC team participated in METPACK 2026, where we had in-depth exchanges and sharing with our customers, showcased our new products, and set future development directions with clients. The event was a great success. We thank every customer for coming, and we are delighted to share all newly launched products. Should you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to contact us.
1. Tinplate Prices
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Baosteel electrolytic tinplate (chrome), Meishan, and WISCO Nippon Steel electrolytic tinplate products: tinplate increased by RMB 100/ton, electrolytic chromium increased by RMB 100/ton.
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Other markets, including state-owned and private mills, generally raised prices by RMB 100/ton.
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Spot market prices increased by RMB 50–100/ton overall.
2. Factors Affecting Tinplate and Finished Product Prices
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Hot-rolled raw materials: Futures market prices increased by RMB 100/ton overall; some spot market increases exceeded RMB 100/ton.
Tin ingot spot prices continued to rise.
USD/CNY exchange rate continued to decline, approaching 6.7. From 7.18 in October 2025 to now, the impact on FOB prices has exceeded 7.2%.
Steel mills have seen significant profit margin compression due to rising raw material costs; domestic tinplate mill capacity utilization remains high.
3. Other Market Reference Information
China’s tinplate export data for 2026 (reference)
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March 2026: China exported 116,800 tons of tinplate, down 30.91% year-on-year.
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January–March 2026: Total tinplate exports reached 402,000 tons, down 11.48% year-on-year.
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March 2026: China exported 42,700 tons of chrome-plated steel, down 23.41% year-on-year.
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January–March 2026: Total chrome-plated steel exports reached 120,100 tons, down 8.26% year-on-year.
Overall, tinplate exports performed well in 2025, with a year-on-year increase of 16.17%. The growth trend continued in January–February 2026. Due to geopolitical conflicts, March export data was weaker, and April export figures are likely to remain soft.
Downstream product statistics
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to March 2026, beverage production by industrial enterprises above designated size reached 44.175 million tons, up 0.48% year-on-year.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to March 2026, dairy product output was 7.632 million tons, up 7.22% year-on-year.
New tinplate production facility approved
Project code 2508-350690-04-05-406808 (tinplate project) has received national approval. This new project will bring 2 tinplate production lines and 1 chrome-plated steel line, with an estimated capacity of 500,000 tons of tinplate and 250,000 tons of chrome-plated products.
4. International Market News
Turkey – Oyak Mining and Metallurgy Group reported year-on-year growth in Q1 2026: liquid steel output rose 21% to 2.35 million tons, flat steel +9%, long products +32%. Exports accounted for ~15% of sales. In May 2025, Oyak commissioned a new 2.8 Mt/yr blast furnace at Isdemir and a revamped coking plant at Erdemir. The two plants have a combined crude steel capacity of 9.1 Mt/yr.
United States – On April 29, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched anti-dumping (AD) investigations on tinplate products from China and Turkey, plus a countervailing duty (CVD) probe on Chinese products. Alleged dumping margins: 85.87%–136.52% for China, 41.11%–198.04% for Turkey.
Brazil – On April 30, 2026, SECEX published Notice No. 33/2026 in the Official Gazette, announcing a preliminary affirmative anti-dumping determination on stainless steel hot-rolled coils originating in China (Mercosur codes: 7219.11.00, 7219.12.00, 7219.13.00, 7219.14.00, 7219.21.00, 7219.22.00, 7219.23.00, 7219.24.00, 7220.11.00, 7220.12.20, and 7220.12.90). However, no provisional measures were imposed at this stage.
Given the market changes brought about by dual pressures from tinplate materials and exchange rates, we have adjusted product prices. You are welcome to request a quote at any time and compare with current market levels. At the same time, we encourage customers to arrange long-term agreement orders. Our team can use exchange rate tools and material booking to avoid product price fluctuations.
Looking ahead to the end of the year, based on past experience, tinplate prices are likely to continue rising. We advise you to stay alert and lock in market prices in advance.
