Import offers for steel plate have continued to fall this week in Turkey as all suppliers have provided discounts, aiming to book some orders amid the decreasing price trend. More competitive offers from abroad have also persuaded domestic suppliers to provide certain discounts.
Bulgaria’s Stomana has dropped its official offers by $40-45/mt over the past week to $1,045-1,050/mt CFR. Some buyers believe discounts of an additional $15/mt are possible to get from the supplier. No firm offer has been heard from Romania’s Galati, although market players have reported it is possible to get $1,020-1,030/mt CFR from the mill. Ukraine’s Metinvest has decreased its offers by another $20/mt to $910-920/mt CFR. However, since the producer’s plate is subject to nine percent tax in Turkey, unlike European Union origin plate, the duty-paid level is standing at around $995-1,005/mt CFR. Macedonia’s Makstil is still at €890-900/mt CFR or $1,030-1,040/mt CFR, down $10-15/mt over the past week due to currency fluctuations, SteelOrbis has learned.
Local Turkish producer Erdemir, according to sources, has decreased its official plate prices by $20-40/mt over the past week to $960/mt e-works for S235JR grade. In the meantime, domestic spot plate prices in Turkey are still in the wide range of $920-1,120/mt ex-warehouse, depending on the seller and its stock level.