Steel Sheet Supply Tightens around Tokyo

Steel sheet market price is strong due to the tight supply and anticipation for the price upsurge around Tokyo. Especially, pickled steel sheet and cold rolled steel sheet is short. These sheet market prices are strong. Hot rolled sheet and surface treated sheet market prices bottomed out, too. A dealer source said the market price may rebound largely in February.

The market price is 57,000-59,000 yen per tonne for hot rolled sheet, 61,000-63,000 yen for pickling steel, 74,000-76,000 yen for cold rolled flat steel, 86,000-88,000 yen for electrogalvanized steel based on hot coil, 96,000-98,000 yen for electrogalvanized steel based on cold coil and 87,000-89,000 yen for hot dipped galvanized sheet around Tokyo.

Coil centers’ inventory decreased by 1.2% to 1.219 million tonnes at the end of December 2009 from a month earlier, according to Japan Coil Center Industry Association. The inventory decreased for 4 consecutive months. Dealers reduced purchase volume from makers when the demand maintained stagnant from building materials, civil engineering or construction machines. Dealers’ shipment and new order receipts are decreasing. Coil centers’ operating rate was 67.3% in December 2009, which represented below 70% for 3 months in a row.

On the other hand, coil centers’ operations keep steady for automobiles or electric appliances. Steel makers’ sheet export is increasing. The makers contracted cold rolled sheet export at FOB US$ 700 ore more and electrogalvanized sheet export at above FOB US$ 800 to East Asia for March shipment. Steel makers are increasing the export while decreasing the supply to domestic dealers.

Meanwhile, speculative demand is emerging in Japanese market with an expectation that raw material prices would rise in or after April. Sheet users had continued spot procurement .But they are now increasing the orders. The demand condition is unclear while the supply and demand balance is gradually tightening.