Export prices for Chinese steel plate increase on war-fueled active buying

Export prices for Chinese heavy plate increased in the week to Tuesday March 8 amid active trading, which was partly fueled by fears over tightening supply amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war

Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for April/May-shipment steel heavy plate, export, fob China main port was $870-895 per tonne on Tuesday, up by $30-35 per tonne from $840-860 per tonne a week earlier.

Yingkou Medium Plate issued an offer of $895-900 per tonne fob for May-shipment plate in the week to Tuesday, a trading source in Beijing and another in Shanghai said on the same day.

During the past week, a trading source in Zhejiang province said he had sold over 10,000 tonnes of April/May-shipments plate, mostly to Southeast Asia and some to South America, at $870-890 per tonne fob.

The trading source in Zhejiang said that trading was good in the past week, partly because the Russia-Ukraine war caused panic buying among overseas clients who could not procure steel products from Russia or Ukraine – with the former under economic sanctions – due to supply chain disruptions and potential risks.

Jiangsu Shagang issued an offer price of $915 per tonne fob for early May-shipment plate on Monday, the trading source in Shanghai said.

Inner Mongolia’s Baotou Iron & Steel and Shandong Iron & Steel did not issue any plate export offers.

A source at Shandong Iron & Steel said on Tuesday that the mill was preoccupied with orders from China’s domestic market.

Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel plate domestic, delivered whs Eastern China was 5,140-5,200 yuan ($814-823) per tonne last Friday, up by 100 yuan per tonne from 5,040-5,100 yuan per tonne a week earlier.

To keep up with steel price trends throughout 2022, visit our steel and raw materials page.

What to read next
Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its MB-LI-0033 Lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price cif China, Japan & Korea, which was published incorrectly on Thursday April 9 due to a typo. The published rationale for MB-LI-0033 Lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price cif China, Japan […]
The European Commission published the first-quarter 2026 Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) certificate price on Tuesday April 7, applicable to all CBAM-eligible goods imported into the EU in January-March 2026.
Automakers are expected to play a pivotal role in driving early demand for low and near-zero-emissions flat steel in Europe
Discover the latest tissue paper market trends in China. Learn why China tissue jumbo roll prices are fluctuating and what it means for buyers and mills.
Fastmarkets has decided to launch a bi-weekly price assessment for Chinese grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) on Friday April 17. The decision follows a one-month consultation period which ended on April 4. The demand for GOES grew alongside the rapid expansion of industries such as power transmission, energy storage, artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and electric vehicle (EV) […]
Logistics disruptions, sharply higher freight costs and limited raw materials supply are among the main impacts from the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran on the Middle East's steel market, Asam Hussain, the chief executive officer of Arabian Gulf Steel Industries (AGSI), told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 1.