BEIJING — China's home appliance sector posted steady growth in the first eight months of the year, with exports and the output of major products increasing, official data shows.

The output of refrigerators rose 6.7 percent year-on-year to 59.14 million units during the period, and the output of washing machines hit 55.92 million units, surging 22.6 percent year-on-year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

A total of 152.2 million air conditioners were produced in the January-August period, up 15.6 percent year-on-year, NDRC data shows.

In the first eight months, China exported over 2.5 billion home appliance units. The total export value increased 18.8 percent year-on-year to approximately $64.5 billion, according to the commission.