In Turkey, steel plate trading activity has been quite moderate lately, supported by some active projects, while in the retail segment the traders prefer to keep their stock levels at medium levels, avoiding piling up material. In the meantime, import activity has been quiet, mainly due to high prices and limited availability from Europe, as well as high freight rates and long lead times for material from Asia.
Import offers from South Korea have been reported at $750/mt CFR for S275JR grade for August-September shipment, while offers for some higher plate grades with thickness of up to 100 mm have been heard at $840/mt CFR. In addition, South Korean S45C plate, according to sources, has been on offer at $900-910/mt CFR. China has been in the market with around $600-620/mt CFR for August shipments for SS400 and $635-645/mt CFR for base shipbuilding grades. Bulgarian plate has been available in Turkey at around $900/mt CFR for August shipment, which is not considered workable now.
In the local market, the base plate prices from the mill have been reported at around $780-790/mt ex-works, while St52 grade has been available, according to market players, at $830-840/mt ex-works. In the retail segment, S355JR plate prices have been reported at $820-855/mt ex-warehouse depending on the supplier.
