Market pricing for hot rolled coils (HRC) remains uncertain in Turkey as local mills continue refraining from giving firm offers, thus preventing CIS-based suppliers from doing the same. Local HRC buyers, surveyed by SteelOrbis, report that mills prefer not to offer directly and are asking for firm bids, saying they are sold out for April and are not in a rush to sell. Still, some customers consider $770-780/mt ex-works levels to be reachable, while others expect a level of $760/mt ex-works. A similar situation is seen for exports, while the lowest offer to the EU reported at $750/mt FOB for April-May shipments.
In the import segment, no official price is heard from MMK, while NLMK is said to be targeting $745-750/mt CFR for March production. No solid offer has been heard from Ukraine, while some customers believe bids should be at $720-740/mt CFR maximum. Offers from China are still heard in the market. One buyer reported a trader’s price for end-of-March shipment at $680/mt CFR Turkey.