BEIJING, April 22 -- China's steel sector saw output expansion in the first quarter of the year, industrial data showed.

In the January-March period, crude steel output rose 6.1 percent year on year to 262 million tonnes, according to the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).

The output of pig iron rose 7.6 percent from a year earlier to 220 million tonnes during the period, the data showed.

The CISA data also showed that the output of rolled steel registered a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent to 333 million tonnes.

In March alone, crude steel output rose by 6.9 percent to reach 95.73 million tonnes, with a daily output of more than 3.08 million tonnes, according to the CISA.

The output of pig iron gained 7.3 percent year on year to hit 78.07 million tonnes last month, while that of rolled steel reported a year-on-year increase of 8.1 percent, said the CISA.