Flat Plate Price in Tokyo

Market price of hot rolled mid-sized plate is flat at 65,000-66,000 yen per tonne for products with 3.2 millimeters thick, 3 feet width and 6 feet length in Tokyo. The price is likely to keep the level when the supply balance has no power to lift the price though major steel service centers expect the price is hitting bottom. Tokyo Steel Manufacturing left the selling price unchanged for March order. Domestic integrated steel makers try to keep the selling price. Japanese market interests see the market price is the bottom when offshore market price recovers after the drop. The steel service centers, which deal mainly hot rolled steel, see the inventory adjustment is completing. The inventory issue is likely not to impact on the market price though the inventory of hot rolled coil, cold coil and coated sheet is still high-level and the adjustment should take time at least until report for the end of February or March. The distributors’ shipment is slow after February when the users including smaller sized distributors buy only immediate requirement. Some service centers keep the high-level of capacity utilization in tall processing when the demand keeps high-level for truck and industrial machinery.