* Shanghai rebar languishes near all-time low
* Spot iron ore at decade-low amid global glut
* Roy Hill makes first iron ore shipment (Adds Roy Hill shipment, updates prices)
By Manolo Serapio Jr
MANILA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Iron ore futures in China dropped to their weakest on record on Thursday amid expectations declining steel appetite in the world's biggest consumer could shut more producers, cutting demand for the raw material.
Cash iron ore fell to a fresh decade-low at just above $38 a tonne on Wednesday, bringing its year-to-date decline to more than 46 percent, far more than crude oil and copper that have been similarly hit by oversupply.
The most-traded May iron ore contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange DCIOcv1 closed down 1.1 percent at 284 yuan ($44) a tonne. It touched 282.50 yuan earlier, the lowest for a most-active contract since the bourse launched iron ore futures in October 2013.
Iron ore for immediate delivery to China's Tianjin port .IO62-CNI=SI fell 1.3 percent to $38.30 a tonne on Wednesday, according to The Steel Index, the lowest on record since it began collecting data in 2008.
Under the annual pricing system that preceded spot-based pricing, it was the lowest since 2005, based on data compiled by Goldman Sachs (N:GS).
"The sentiment is still quite bearish," said a Shanghai-based iron ore trader. "We're not seeing a lot of bids."
More steel mills in China could close in the next few months, he warned, with no sign that demand could pick up anytime soon.
Some Chinese steel producers have either reduced output or shut completely as consumption continued to shrink this year after falling in 2014 for the first time in more than three decades due to a slowing economy. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N13C2BB
Amid a weak domestic market, China's steel exports topped 100 million tonnes for the first time this year as producers shipped more surplus output overseas, many of them using tax rebates to help them outprice rivals. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N12R22R
"If China's steel product export growth slows due to trade barriers, we could see a glut of steel in China push down domestic steel prices, likely translating through to weaker iron ore prices due to margin pressure," Commonwealth Bank of Australia said in a note.
Construction-used rebar slipped 0.6 percent to 1,648 yuan a tonne on the Shanghai Futures Exchange SRBcv1 . It touched a record low of 1,618 yuan a tonne on Dec. 1.
Australia's Roy Hill mine shipped its first iron ore cargo on Thursday, adding to global supply.
Roy Hill, with capacity to produce and ship 55 million tonnes of high-grade iron ore annually, has secured long-term purchase contracts from steel mills in Asia including those in Japan for over 90 percent of the production, said mine partner Marubeni Corp 8002.T .
Rebar and iron ore prices at 0711 GMT
Contract
Last
Change Pct Change SHFE REBAR MAY6
1648
-10.00
-0.60 DALIAN IRON ORE DCE DCIO MAY6
284
-3.00
-1.05 SGX IRON ORE FUTURES JAN
36.18
-0.73
-1.98 THE STEEL INDEX 62 PCT INDEX
38.3
-0.50
-1.29 METAL BULLETIN INDEX
39.08
+0.43
+1.11
Dalian iron ore and Shanghai rebar in yuan/tonne Index in dollars/tonne, show close for the previous trading day ($1 = 6.4380 Chinese yuan)