SHANGHAI, China — Chinese ferroalloys output fell back in July after rising in June as producers cut output amid lower prices.

Production averaged 81,744 tonnes per day in June, down 14.7 percent from 95,870 tonnes per day in June, taking the month’s total to nearly 2.54 million tonnes. However, that figure was still up 8.8 percent year on year, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

"The largest reduction was probably in the manganese alloys sector ... as that market is the worst among all the alloys," said a senior analyst in Beijing.

Prices of silicomanganese and ferromanganese have sunk to their lowest levels in three years after a three-month slump in China’s steel market.

NBS figures showed that in the seven months through July, China’s ferroalloy output reached 17.2 million tonnes, up 9 percent year on year.