Discounts considered possible in Turkey’s steel plate market

Steel plate prices in Turkey have remained stable over the past week, but demand has not improved. Moreover, business has been affected by the severe currency fluctuations in Turkey. Real buyers may be able to get $10-15/mt discounts for serious orders, sources report. "There is a lack of projects and low demand has been putting pressure on prices. But now we have the lira at a record against the dollar and buyers are really worried about this. It is not easy as we also have to restock and our costs are also in US dollars. Because of this, restocking activity is low and we expect an availability problem in the spot markets in the coming months," a trader told SteelOrbis. It is said that most traders have been ready to accept lower bids for sizable orders while stocks are high.

Local producer Erdemir has kept its prices at $580-590/mt ex-works for S235JR quality and at $610-620/mt ex-works for S355 JR quality plates, for January production.

Import prices have also remained stable over the same period. In the import market, Bulgaria’s Stomana Industry S.A. is now offering at $550-560/mt CFR for S235JR grade and at $600-610/mt CFR for S355JR grade, for December production. Offers from Romania are now standing at $540-550/mt CFR for S235JR quality, for December deliveries. South Korea is in the market with $540/mt CFR for S235JR quality and at $600/mt for S355JR, both for December deliveries, as SteelOrbis has learned.

In the shipbuilding plate segment, Macedonia-based Makstil’s offers remain at €500/mt CFR for S235JR quality and at €530/mt CFR for S355JR quality, for November-December deliveries, SteelOrbis has learned.