Weak Plate Steel Price in Tokyo

Plate steel market price is decreasing to 87,000 yen per tonne for standard sized products with 19 millimeters thickness, 5 feet width and 10 feet length and 95,000-100,000 yen per tonne for cut processed materials around Tokyo. Dealers’ sales remain stagnant for building materials. Their order receipt volume keeps low level in November.

Steel framers held order backlogs accepted in 2008 until September but their processing works recently decreased due to few order receipts since the beginning of this year. Consequently, shearing processors’ oreder receipts are declining at present days.

Tokyo Steel Manufacturing announced to reduce its plate selling price by 2,000 yen to 63,000 yen per tonne for December contracts. Japanese integrated steel makers’ selling price is around 80,000 yen. The price gap is widening between integrated steel makers and Tokyo Steel Manufacturing.

Users are requiring price cut to shearing processors. A shearing processor around Tokyo said order volume doesn’t increase even though processors lower the reselling price.