Flat Sheet Steel Price in Tokyo

Sheet steel price is flat at 65,000-67,000 yen per tonne for hot rolled flat steel, 75,000-77,000 yen for pickling steel and 80,000-81,000 yen for cold rolled steel around Tokyo. The price is expected to keep the level though domestic integrated steel makers could increase the selling price after October. The demand increases for construction applications while automotive demand will increase. However, the distributors’ spot market is still slow when major users shift to central purchasing. Distributors feel the demand is slower than usual. Domestic integrated steels try to improve the supply balance by reducing the supply for distributors in October-December. However, the mood gap increases between integrated steels at full capacity operation and distributors with slower demand. A coil center source said the supply balance is not bad but they have no factor to increase the reselling price.