According to the Hebei Metallurgical Industry Association, in the first half of the current year, the average net profit registered by the steel industry in China's Hebei Province was RMB 32.03 ($5.23) per metric ton of steel produced - down by RMB 25.65/mt ($4.19/mt), while the average net profit margin was 0.55 percent, down 0.38 percent - both on year-on-year basis. The given figures for Hebei were respectively RMB 24.84/mt ($4.06/mt) and 0.424 percent higher than the average national levels.

Meanwhile, in the first seven months this year the value-added output of the steel industry in Hebei totaled RMB 145.775 billion ($23.8 billion), up 9.91 percent year on year.