Flat Sheet Steel Price in Tokyo

Sheet steel market price is flat around Tokyo after the price increased by 1,000-2,000 yen per tonne in early May due to lower inventory. The distributors cannot seek another hike with slower demand partly due to more central purchasing by major users. The demand could decrease more when Nissan Motor, which is major sheet steel user around Tokyo, plans output reduction. The market price is 67,000-69,000 yen per tonne for hot rolled sheet steel, 75,000-77,000 yen for pickling steel, 79,000-81,000 yen for cold sheet and 89,000-91,000 yen for coated sheet for base size at dealers’ transactions around Tokyo. The price is expected to increase when domestic makers increased the coated sheet price and POSCO increased the export price to Japan for July-September shipment along with firm demand for automobile and industrial and construction machinery. However, the distributors’ mood is different. The demand for distributors keeps decreasing when major users increase the central purchasing to secure stable procurement. With the lower demand, smaller distributors, which are buyers for major distributors, are reluctant to build inventory.