Steel Plate Market Price Increasing in Tokyo

The market price of steel plate is flat with potential increase in Tokyo. The price could increase when the supply is rapidly tightening thanks to the demand recovery for bridge and building construction. The price is around 79,000-80,000 yen per tonne for base sized products with 19 millimeters of thickness, 5 feet of width and 10 feet of length and around 95,000-100,000 yen for processed plate of base size.The supply and demand index of steel plate improved by 10 points to plus 3 in July from the previous month, when the plus index represents the supply shortage trend and the minus index the supply surplus in the market, according to the research by Japan Steel Product Dealers Association, asking Association’s members the supply and demand conditions. The index became to above zero for the first time since May 2005. Steel dealers have felt steel plate supply is surplus against demand for over one year. The market trend seems changing recently.The orders for processed plate are likely to move forward which is used for bridge construction, though the orders for the bridge construction tended to appear after autumn so far. The operating rate is improving at shearing manufacturers around Tokyo supplying processed plate as building materials. The market price is under the brisk tone thanks to the improvement of the market condition.