Chinese stocks headed lower Thursday, as investor sentiment remains fragile.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went down 0.53 percent to close at 2,772.55, and the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.51 percent lower at 9,148.78.

Combined turnover stood at 311 billion yuan (about 46.1 billion U.S. dollars), shrinking from 337.4 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

The cement and steel industry saw strong performance Thursday. Huaxin Cement went up 4.28 percent to close at 17.54 yuan. Jiangsu Yulong Steel Pipe surged by the daily limit of 10 percent to end at 6.47 yuan per share.

The furniture industry was among the biggest daily losers. Yunda Holding lost 7.16 percent to close at 50.6 yuan per share.

The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, was down 1.11 percent to close at 1,590.06 points Thursday.