Firm H-Beam Price in Tokyo

H-beam price is firm at 75,000 yen per tonne for base size with 200 by 100 millimeters width without freight around Tokyo. JFE Steel increased the selling price by 2,000-3,000 yen per tonne for distributors for September order following Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Industry’s price hike. It is expected the makers’ price hike push up the market price. The order from general contractors is active for building construction projects. On the other hand, shipment for distributors stays low. Each maker will continue to reduce the order acceptance. However, the inventory in the market did not reach the appropriate level, which dampens the power of the market price hike. The smaller dealers watch the market move when larger trading firms try to increase the reselling price. If larger trading firms’ selling price increases, it would takes about one week that higher price penetrate to whole dealers.