Stable Price of Stainless Plate in Tokyo

Market price of stainless plate is flat at 300,000 yen per tonne for SUS304 grade from hot rolling mill, at 450,000 yen for SUS304 grade from plate mill and at 740,000 yen for SUS316 grade from plate mill in Tokyo. The market is likely to keep the level under the firm demand for export.The demand for nickel series stainless is firm for contract users and export due to the strong investment for seawater desalting plant in Middle East and liquid natural gas plant in China. The domestic demand also increases due to indirect export applications along with higher capital expenditure for vacuum chamber of liquid crystal panel. The demand is also improving for domestic distributors’ market since the end of 2005 when the inventory adjustment progresses though the demand level is still low. The stainless plate inventory was 39,464 tonnes for hot rolled products representing 3.86 months of shipment in January, according to report by the industry association. The inventory was the highest level in 2 years and the inventory rate for shipment increased slightly from December. However, a distributor source said the market price will keep the level under the strong demand for offshore market.