BEIJING — China's building material industry reported steady expansion last year, data by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed.

The combined revenue of companies with an annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan (about $3.14 million) stood at 6.6 trillion yuan in 2021, up 13.5 percent year-on-year.

Their combined profits rose 14.7 percent year-on-year to reach 575.4 billion yuan during the same period.

In 2021, the sector's added value logged a year-on-year increase of 8 percent.

Exports of the building material sector maintained a fast increase last year. Building materials and non-metallic minerals worth $42.13 billion were exported in the January-November period last year, up 23.5 percent year-on-year.