Business activity in the steel plate market of Turkey has improved recently due to livelier restocking and firm sentiment in the raw materials and ho rolled coil segments. In addition, the overall market supply volume has been limited lately, partly due to the holiday period in the EU, but also taking into account some maintenance works at some of facilities. The less aggressive import offers, particularly from Asia, have also helped the general market mood for plate to improve.
As a result, the prices for plate in Turkey have further increased. Local producer Erdemir has closed sales for the first quarter of the year and is now offering at the earliest for April deliveries and at $1,000/mt ex-works and above for commercial qualities. The supplier has thus increased its prices by $50/mt over the past week. In the retail sector, traders raised their offers for plate by the same amount to $1,050-1,100/mt ex-warehouse.
In the import segment, the number of active plate offers has been scarce. Bulgaria has increased its price for end-of-February shipments by $20/mt to $1,000/mt CFR, while Romania is not in the market due to the ongoing maintenance at Liberty Galati. South Korea, according to sources, is offering $980-1,000/mt CFR for S355JR plate, while the S235JR grade is at $870/mt CFR, up $40/mt over the past week. The supplier is offering for end-of-March and April shipments, SteelOrbis has learned.
