H-beam Price Rises by 1,000/T in Tokyo, Osaka

H-beam price increased by 1,000 yen per tonne in Tokyo and Osaka and the price increased for the first time since September around Osaka. The market price is 62,000-63,000 yen around Tokyo while the price is around 59,000 yen around Osaka. The market price would continue increasing when the dealers try to pass the higher purchase cost price to the reselling price after the makers increased the price for February.

H-beam price has been decreasing around Osaka after the price slightly increased in September. The dealers’ inventory decreased by 9.5% to 51,700 tonnes around Osaka in January from December, according to Tokiwa-kai, which is group of the distributors for Nippon Steel’s H-beam. The market sources see the inventory should be reduced for higher price.

H-beam price around Tokyo increased by 3,000 yen per tonne from the beginning of February. However, the breakeven point is 70,000 yen per tonne for the dealers, according to a dealer source. The dealers try to increase the price more.