Steel plate prices in Turkey have mainly increased over the past week, partly supported by the upward movement seen in the hot-rolled coil (HRC) segment. In addition, although the number of projects in the country remains limited, some business activity has been seen this week, mainly owing to local restocking.
In the import segment, ex-Bulgaria offers are now standing at $1,080/mt CFR for base grade of the steel plate, marking a $35/mt increase since the middle of the month. Romania’s Galati has offered $1,025-1,030/mt CFR for March production of plate, versus $985/mt CFR offers at the end of December, before the company left the market for the holiday period. Current offers from South Korea are at $980-1,000/mt CFR levels depending on the producer, up by $20/mt over the past week. In the meantime, Ukraine’s Metinvest is expected to announce around $1,000/mt CFR for shipbuilding grade only, citing limited availability due to some active sales to alternative destinations.
In the domestic market, according to sources, Erdemir is back to around $980-1,000/mt ex-works (+$30-40/mt) in offers for March production, while $10/mt discounts may still be on the table.
