Industrial Electric Cable Price Keeps Flat in Tokyo

The market price of industrial electric cable is flat in Tokyo. The price is around 1,480-1,490 yen per meter of cut length for 3-core 600 volt CVT (triplex type of cross-linked polyethylene insulated and vinyl sheathed cable) with 38 square millimeters of copper cross section and around 48 yen per meter for 2-core 600V VVF (vinyl insulated vinyl sheathed flat-type cable) with 1.6 mm diameter. The price fluctuation is slow when Japanese official copper ingot price stays at 950,000 yen per tonne, the indicator for electric cable prices, and spot demand for industrial cable maintains stagnant.Spot demand for industrial cable seasonally increases in Japanese market from July to mid August every year. However, the demand stays low even in August this year. Many dealers point out medium- and small-sized electric engineering contractors cannot purchase electric facility materials for themselves when copper price keeps the too high level. As to VVF, the shipment was little for air conditioners due to cool summer in July.Japanese electric cable makers offered the cable dealers the price hike to improve profitability for industrial cables when their cost price expanded mainly for copper. However, the price negotiation seems not smooth under the slow demand.