Makers’ Hike to Lift Structural Steel Market in Tokyo

Structural steel market price is firm at around 130,000 yen per tonne for carbon steel for machine structural use and at around 160,000 yen for chromium and molybdenum steel around Tokyo. The price could increase to 145,000 yen for carbon steel for machine structural use and 175,000 yen for chromium and molybdenum steel toward September after makers’ more than 10,000 yen hike.Special steel makers will hike structural steel price toward October. Daido Steel already announced price increase 10,000 yen per tonne as third hike in fiscal year ending March 2009. Other makers are impacted by higher price of materials and would follow Daido Steel. The dealers’ inventory keeps decrease trend when the makers reduce the shipment for dealers to secure material for contract user. The dealers reported some stock out size especially for products with large diameter. Special Steel Association of Japan reported the dealers’ inventory of carbon steel for machine use and Cr-Mo steel was 256,820 tonnes at end of May, which was 12.5% lower than a year earlier level. An executive of the major dealer said the dealers’ market already reflects around 50% of makers’ second batch of hike. He, however, said the market couldn’t accept the third batch of makers’ hike by the end of the year.