Beijing, September 2 (Xinhua) — Data released by the China Building Materials Federation on the 2nd shows that in July, demand in the building materials market weakened seasonally and the industry's economic performance declined year on year, but some sectors showed positive changes in their economic operation. From January to July, the economic performance of the entire cement industry turned from negative to positive, and the output and performance of major products in industries serving the industrial and end-consumption sectors maintained growth.

　　The data shows that in the first seven months, China's building materials production was relatively weak, with output of some products maintaining growth. From January to July, among the 31 key building materials products under monitoring, 10 products saw year-on-year output growth while 21 saw declines. Among them, flat glass output reached 590 million weight cases, up 6.4% year on year; output of technical glass, glass fiber yarn, composite materials, sanitary ceramics, gypsum board, granite slabs and other products serving the industrial and end-consumption sectors continued to grow year on year.

　　From January to July, the cement industry turned losses into profits, and total profits in industries related to industrial consumption and building decoration materials maintained growth. According to National Bureau of Statistics data, from January to July, operating revenue of building materials enterprises above designated size fell 12.2% year on year, and total profits fell 54.6% year on year. Among them, total profits in sub-sectors such as non-metallic mineral products, concrete and cement products, and building stone mining declined relatively sharply. However, total profits of the entire cement industry turned from negative to positive; total profits in sub-sectors such as lightweight building materials, building technical glass, graphite and talc mining and processing, and mica products maintained year-on-year growth.

　　Ex-factory prices of building materials products fluctuated at a low level. In July, ex-factory prices of building materials products fell 5.2% year on year and 0.3% month on month. Among them, ex-factory prices in industries such as cement, concrete and cement products, wall materials, lightweight building materials, clay and sand-gravel mining, and mineral fibers and composite materials rebounded month on month.

　　In terms of imports and exports, the import and export value of building materials and non-metallic mineral commodities declined year on year, with major export commodities showing volume growth and price declines. In July, exports of building materials and non-metallic mineral commodities totaled US$2.68 billion, down 21.3% from the same month last year; from January to July, exports totaled US$21.45 billion, down 13.2% from the same period last year.