China's steel sector sees output expansion in Q1

China's steel sector saw output expansion in the first quarter of the year, industrial data showed.

In the January-March period, crude steel output rose 6.1 percent year on year to 262 million tons, according to the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).

The output of pig iron rose 7.6 percent from a year earlier to 220 million tons during the period, the data showed.

The CISA data also showed that the output of rolled steel registered a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent to 333 million tons.

In March alone, crude steel output rose by 6.9 percent to reach 95.73 million tons, with a daily output of more than 3.08 million tons, according to the CISA.

The output of pig iron gained 7.3 percent year on year to hit 78.07 million tons last month, while that of rolled steel reported a year-on-year increase of 8.1 percent, said the CISA.