Firm Plate Price in Tokyo

Plate steel market price is firm at around 120,000 yen per tonne for standard sized product with 19 millimeters thick, 5 feet width and 10 feet length and at around 140,000 yen for cut processed materials at dealers’ sites around Tokyo. The dealers try to pass higher cost price despite of the very slow demand when Nippon Steel and Chubu Steel Plate increase the selling price by 10,000 yen for August-September shipment. The supply side pressure could lift the market price under tight supply even in the dealers’ market. The dealers and processors experience tough time in the demand especially for low rise building applications while some processors keep high level operation to supply processed materials for machinery makers. However, some processors increase the offer by 5,000 yen per tonne to cover higher cost price.The supply is still very tight due to strong demand for shipbuilding and other manufacturers along with the wide price increase. The dealers’ market also experiences tight supply despite of the slow demand. The dealers’ inventory keeps decreasing and some sizes including products with 6-12 mm thick are very tight.