Copper Plate Market Price Keeps Flat in Tokyo

The market price of copper plate keeps flat in Tokyo at around 1,180 yen per kilogram for small sized products with 2 millimeters thick and at around 1,350 yen per kg for large sized products with 2mm thick.The dealers set the reselling prices unchanged even after Nippon Mining & Metals decreased Japanese official copper ingot price by 20,000 yen to 940,000 yen per tonne on Wednesday. The official price was revised down due to the plunge of overseas copper markets and stronger yen against US dollar. The dealers felt the revision range was not so wide and kept the price level then.Copper plate demand was brisk for capital investment related usages despite of Japanese summer holidays in mid August. The dealer source said the orders increased for products with 4-6 mm thick. The demand was also active for products with 2mm thick used for heat sink and wiring materials. Most dealers expect copper plate demand could maintain firm after the holidays.The market price might weaken if overseas copper markets continue to decline. The current copper markets decreased to the lowest level since late July. Copper plate users are likely to offer the price cut against the dealers if Japanese official copper price continues to decrease following the offshore trend.The dealers would not decrease the reselling prices immediately when they could not pass the increasing cost price onto the reselling prices enough yet. The market price seems to keep flat for a while.