Flat Angle and Channel Price in Tokyo

Equal angle market price is flat at 75,000 yen per tonne without freight for product with 6 millimeters thick and 50 mm width around Tokyo. Channel price is 80,000-81,000 yen. Dealers’ shipment is slow under lower demand. Dealers have not passed makers’ hike on the reselling price enough yet and try hard to get off cheap price. The market price is expected to keep flat until the demand recovery. Local dealers’ daily shipment decreased by 12.7% for angle in March from February, by 8.2% for channel, according to Tokyo Steel Product Dealers Association. The shipment was slow in March and became more stagnant in April. Dealer source said shape steel makers examined another hike to pass material cost expansion on the selling price but recently seem to postpone the hike. Shape steels are delivered to dealers sites which were raised by 3,000 yen per tonne by makers. Dealer source said newly shipped products changed off with cheaper inventories. Their profitability will become worse with high-price inventories. Dealers try to avoid cheaper contracts and to fix higher reselling price.