Trading activity in Turkey's steel plate market has been slow during the past week, with most buyers not being in a rush to restock in particular with imports, considering the latest price levels are mostly unworkable. Supply has also been a bit lower, especially from Europe where domestic prices had already increased in July and are expected to rise further after the holiday period.
In terms of Asian plate supplies, prices have been quite high, according to sources, and so sales have been slow. Ex-South Korea S355J2 material, according to traders, has been on offer at $850/mt CFR Diliskelesi, while others have reported St52 indications at $860-870/mt CFR, both for October shipments. Ex-China offers for mixed shipbuilding grades have been set at $680-690/mt CFR for September-October shipments, while SS400 plate prices are at $595-610/mt CFR.
Ex-Europe offers for plate have been limited due to the recent uptrend in the regional market and due to the approaching holiday period. The official offers from Bulgaria have been reported at $930/mt CFR, while some Turkish market players have reported more realistic levels of $880-890/mt CFR, SteelOrbis has heard.
In the Turkish domestic market, according to sources, the local mill's price for base plate grades is at $720-730/mt ex-works, while in the retail segment S355JR plate has mainly been available at $830-835/mt ex-warehouse. Some buyers, however, have stated that $5-10/mt discounts might be achievable from some suppliers.
