Japanese Steel Makers Increases Steel Product Price by about 30,000 y/t for Toyota

It is expected Japanese integrated steel makers arrives at agreement to increase steel product price by the last half of 20,000 yen per tonne with Toyota Motors. Average steel product price exceeded 100,000 yen per tonne for automobile for the first time, which hit the record in 26 years for the first time. Steel makers’ price hike is likely to make process for home electronics or shipbuilding.

Steel price for automobile significantly decreased in 1999 due to the reduction of sources by Nissan Motors. Japanese steel makers increased the price after 2003 thanks to expanding demand. In 2008, steel makers requested to increase by about 30,000 yen per tonne to Toyota Motors when iron ore price increased by 65% in fiscal 2008 from 2007 and coal price increased by 3 times.

Automobile makers understood escalating material price in a global scale, but resisted against steel makers’ price hike. Automobile makers are seemed to take precedence stable supply of steel product when they are expanding car production worldwide.