Tokyo Steel Launches High Grade Plate Items

Tokyo Steel Manufacturing announced on Monday the firm launches new high valued plate items for April order. The firm markets SM490A grade or JIS3106, which is material for welding structure, and SN490B grade or JIS3136, which is steel for building structure, charging 5,000 yen per tonne and 8,000 yen each of extra on SS400 grade. The firm also announced the day the 2,000 yen per tonne of hike for concrete reinforcing steel bar and wire rod for April order, for which the firm accepts order until Thursday. The firm started SS400 grade plate steel production in February to diversify the products line. The firm produces plate with 9-32 millimeters thick, 2,100 or 2,438 mm of width and 6,096 mm of length only for SS400 grade to ship mainly for distributors’ market. With SM and SN grades, the firm tries to expand the business through joint sales with H-beam.The firm tries to keep watching the marker condition with minimum price change for April order under lower yen rate. The firm expects steel market prices could increase more toward the active demand season under higher ferrous scrap market. The firm plans to increases H-beam and hot rolled coil output in March slightly than February, when the firm produced near 120,000 tonnes of H-beam and around 90,000 tonnes of hot coil. The firm offers FOB US$ 600 per tonne of hot coil for Asian market after the deal at FOB 570 for Southeast Asia.