BEIJING, Sept. 17 -- China's home appliance industry reported steady output growth in the first seven months of the year, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

China's output of refrigerators for home use rose 13.8 percent year on year to over 55.88 million units during the January-July period, according to the data.

The output of room air conditioners climbed 17.9 percent year on year to 163.48 million units, while production of washing machines topped 56.41 million units, up 19.9 percent from a year earlier.