Flat Plate Steel Price in Tokyo

Plate steel market price is flat at 80,000-83,000 yen per tonne for product with 19 millimeters thick, 5 feet width and 10 feet length and at more than 97,000-99,000 yen for products with cutting process around Tokyo.The demand for shipbuilding or construction machine is strong. Especially, the demand for shipbuilding is increasing. Some steel plate processors are increasing their processing volume for shipbuilding by 10% from a year ago. Steel plate export is expected to keep extending.Otherwise, dealers’ shipment is slower. Shearing processor source said domestic demand is slow compared with export. The market for building construction is shrinking due to the advancement of one fabricator which is subsidiary of a large dealer.Some dealers’ inventory is decreasing thanks to large building projects. However, the dealers’ price hike is difficult when the market inventory is increasing since this spring. Other shearing processor source said the firm can’t raise the selling price without some trigger.