Merchant bar prices, just like other long and flat steel product prices, have been going up in the last two weeks in Iran in line with the soaring trend in the global markets. However, both local sellers and buyers are worried about what will happen to the market trend in the coming weeks. Will prices continue to rise further or could they start to collapse? As a result, some market participants are anxious to avoid any large transactions due to the perceived instability of prices. At present, traders or end-users who require material urgently are making purchases, but nobody is seeking to build up large stocks.
Iranian origin 140-180 mm I-beam sizes are currently being transacted by local traders at $805-828/mt ex-stock Tehran, up from $754-793/mt about 10 days ago, up from $730-755/mt about 20 days ago and from $705-720/mt about 30 days ago. 200 mm I-beam is now priced at $1,022/mt (+$12/mt), 220 mm is priced at $938/mt (+$21/mt), 240 mm is priced at $873/mt (+$ 28/mt) and the price of 270 mm I-beam stands at $876/mt (+$36/mt) - all prices are on ex-stock Tehran basis and have been compared with 10 days ago .
The Iranian U-beam market has also been rising during the last two weeks. U-beam (Russian origin) of 80-180 mm size currently stands at about $830-880/mt ex-stock Tehran, compared to about $825-855/mt about 10 days ago, about $790-825/mt 20 days ago and $765-770/mt about 30 days ago. The Iranian U-beam market is mainly supplied by CIS and Chinese products as most local re-rollers do not produce U-beam.
The Iranian angle market has likewise remained on an uptrend. Iranian origin angles of 30 x 30 mm - 120 x 120 mm size are now priced at $825-900/mt ex-stock Tehran, up from $795-875/mt ten days ago, from $795-875/mt about 20 days ago and $760-815/mt around 30 days ago. The major part of Iran's market demand for angles is supplied by local rolling mills and so Iran does not import so much of this product.