Athough Turkey’s import scrap market remains relatively silent, an ex-UK deal was disclosed late yesterday, April 17, signaling a firm trend for ex-Europe scrap prices during the end-of-Ramadan holiday.
SteelOrbis has learned that an Izmir-based producer has concluded a deal for an ex-UK cargo with HMS I/II 80:20 scrap standing at $380.75/mt CFR and bonus grade scrap at $400.75/mt CFR. The cargo consists of 15,000 mt of scrap, divided equally between the two grades. The deal was done during the recent holiday, with the cargo to be shipped in May.
Unfortunately, the sluggish demand of rebar in Turkey is not showing signs of recovery, providing little support for deep sea scrap quotations. While Turkey’s import HMS I/II 80:20 scrap prices stand in the range of $379-384/mt CFR, the ongoing silence is exerting pressure on all sides. Along with domestic rebar demand being on the low side, Turkey’s recent biggest export markets Yemen and Israel are now difficult for Turkish mills. As reported previously, Turkey has restricted exports of 54 product groups to Israel, citing its continuing violations of international law with its attacks on Palestinians in Gaza since October 7 last. Turkish longs mills have intensified talks with buyers from Latin America, the Balkan region, the EU and the Black Sea region. Currently, Turkish rebar export prices vary at $590-595/mt FOB for shipment at the end of April or in May, falling by $5/mt on the higher end over the past two weeks. In the Turkish domestic rebar market, most mills in the Marmara and Izmir regions are offering officially at $600-620/mt ex-works, also falling by $5/mt on the higher end. According to buyers, there are hardly any billet offers around from the Black Sea region. This week, the indications for Asian, namely Malaysian and Indonesian billet origins, have been reported at $530-540/mt CFR levels.