Steel Plate Price Keeps Flat with Potential Decrease in Tokyo

Steel plate price keeps flat with potential decrease in Tokyo. The supply is easy with few inquiries in the market and enough supply of commodity products. However, the market price is unlikely to decrease more at present. The stock adjustment is necessary for the price increase, though much demand cannot be expected at dealers’ sites in January-March. Dealers and shearing manufacturers would strive to keep the price.The total demand continues brisk for shipbuilding, construction and industrial machinery. On the other hand, much demand cannot be expected at dealers and shearing manufacturers at least in January-March, when there are few projects of large building construction, though steel frame demand is relatively firm for building construction at dealers. At major shearing manufacturers, operations become slower impacted by makers’ bid-rigging case for bridge construction.Trading of steel plate started fully last week after New Year holidays. Some medium dealers say they suddenly received a rush of steel plate orders after holidays. Some of them are busy for quick delivery orders. However, trading of material plate for shearing is inactive and the price barely keeps the present level. Shearing manufacturers tend to procure needed materials only and their stocks are still under adjustment.Nonetheless, the steel plate price is kept at 80,000 yen per tonne for products with 19 millimeters of thickness, 5 feet of width and 10 feet of length. Domestic integrated steel makers perform the price maintenance and dealers refrain from the unprofitable sales, after they experienced the increase of the products prices during one and a half years toward the first half of 2005. The processed plate price is flat at around 95,000-100,000 yen per tonne.