* Coking coal and coke lead the surge
* Little signs that supply shortage will ease in near term
* Surge in raw materials drives up steel prices (Updates close prices)
SHANGHAI, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Chinese steel futures extended gains on Wednesday as continued supply shortage and strong demand boosted prices in the world's top consumer.
The most active coking coal futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange DJMcv1 hit an upward limit of 7 percent, and closed 5.7 percent higher at 1,228.5 yuan a tonne, the highest since the bourse launched the contract in 2015.
Coking coal prices have surged as much as 45 percent since September.
Coke DCJcv1 rose 3.6 percent to 1,536.5 yuan a tonne by close, the highest since December 2013, and surged as much as 36 percent since Sept. 19.
China has pushed supply-side reforms in oversupplied sectors including coal by cutting overcapacity, a move that has unexpectedly resulted in the months-long rally in coal prices and the extremely low inventories with coal consumers.
"It's still about the severe shortage of coal and coke while the demand from steel mills remains strong. Meanwhile, the government has no intention to largely loosen the tight grip on coal production and preferred coal mines to raise output gradually," said Jin Tao, an analyst with Guotai Junan Futures in Shanghai.
The domestic mining cuts also boosted Australian thermal coal spot prices to have hit $100 per tonne for the first time since 2012, according to trading platform GLOBALcoal on Tuesday. spike in raw materials drove the most active rebar futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange SRBcv1 up 0.5 percent by close.
Iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange DCIOcv1 stood steady at 436 yuan a tonne by close.
Iron ore for delivery to China's Tianjin port .IO62-CNI=SI edged up 0.3 percent to $58 a tonne, according to data from The Steel Index.