Following a long-term increase, on October 29 Tokyo Steel, the main EAF-based steel producer in Japan, has decided to lower the scrap purchase prices for one its mill, namely the Tahara plant. Even with the latest downwards revision, the scrap prices for Tahara plant have remained the highest compared to other mills.
Specifically, the company has announced a JPY 1,000/mt (around $9/mt) decrease in its H2 and shindachi scrap at the abovementioned plant, while for other mills the prices have remained unchanged. On balance, the new Tokyo Steel’s price levels for H2 scrap have settled at JPY 52,000-58,000/mt ($457-510/mt), while for shindachi scrap they are at JPY 54,500-64,000/mt ($478-563/mt). The lower end is still valid for the Takamatsu plant, while the higher end is for the Tahara plant. All prices are delivered and effective from October 30.
| Plant | H2 | Shindachi | ||
| Price (JPY/mt) | Price change (JPY /mt) | Price (JPY/mt) | Price change (JPY/mt) | |
| Tahara | 58,000 | -1,000 | 64,000 | -1,000 |
| Okayama | 55,000 | 0 | 58,500 | 0 |
| Kuyshu | 56,000 | 0 | 58,000 | 0 |
| Utsunomiya | 56,000 | 0 | 58,000 | 0 |
| Takamatsu | 52,000 | 0 | 54,500 | 0 |