Firm Plate Price in Tokyo

Plate steel market price is flat with strong tone at around 120,000 yen per tonne for product with 19 millimeters thick, 5 feet width and 10 feet length and at 148,000 yen for cut processed materials at dealers’ sites around Tokyo. Dealers’ shipping is slow. But each dealer keeps strong selling stance when Japanese plate makers additionally raised the selling price for the last half of fiscal 209 at the ended of March 2009.

The supply keeps tight due to limited reserve capacity of domestic makers under strong demand for shipbuilding, construction machinery and energy. The price could increase with pressure by makers and distributors despite of very slow demand condition.

The demand for small-middle size building is low. Shearing processors are caught in hard getting the order for building construction. Shearing processor source said the order is decreasing by 10% from a year earlier.

Each plate maker increased the selling price for the contract in August and September, which delivered new price products to dealers from the last half of September. Each dealer is mulling to pass the increased purchased price on the selling price.

The dealers’ inventory is decreasing when makers are reducing the supply to dealers. Dealers prospect the purchase condition keeps hard in near future.