STEEL SCRAP WRAP: Global prices continue surge on strong demand

Steel scrap prices continued to surge this week due to sustained demand from buyers in all markets, with the exception of India. Downstream steel prices have supported raw material price increases in Asia, with buyers melting scrap to feed demand for billet and long steel products.

  • Turkey books Canadian, Baltic Sea scrap
  • US export prices to go higher
  • Vietnam buys deep-sea bulk cargoes
  • Taiwan chases containerized scrap prices higher
  • Indian market remains subdued.

Turkey
Turkish steel mills continued to purchase imported scrap cargoes at higher prices to feed downstream long steel production. Steel mills in the country have been actively offering rebar cargoes to Hong Kong and Singapore, with at least one cargo sold and one more under price negotiation.

Turkish scrap buyers booked Canadian and Baltic Sea cargoes this week instead of United States-origin material, which has been offered at higher prices compared with other origins.

Pricing history
steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), Northern Europe origin, cfr Turkey.
steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), US origin, cfr Turkey.

United States
Market sources expected more purchasing activity in the near term and at higher prices, due to strong demand from global steel mills and limited scrap flows.

Pricing history
steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), export index, fob New York.
steel scrap shredded scrap, export index, fob New York.
steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), export index, fob Los Angeles.

Vietnam
Vietnam has purchased at least two deep-sea cargoes this week, turning away from Japanese H2 cargoes due to the narrow premium.

Pricing history
steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), cfr Vietnam.

Taiwan
Taiwanese buyers have continued to purchase containerized cargoes at higher prices because of high prices for finished products.

Pricing history
steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US material import, cfr main port Taiwan.

India
Indian prices were largely unchanged this week due to lackluster interest for imports among mills.

Pricing history
steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India.

What to read next
Fastmarkets has corrected its MB-STE-0523 Steel scrap shredded auto scrap, consumer buying price, delivered mill, $/gross ton, weekly composite, which was published incorrectly since June 14.
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the pricing frequency of its MB-STE-0889 steel scrap, index, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr east China, and MB-STE-0895 steel scrap, index, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr north China to once a month from the current weekly basis.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ price assessments for MB-STE-0093 Turkey domestic auto bundle scrap and MB-STE-0094 Turkey domestic melting scrap from shipbreaking for June 17 were delayed due to a reporter error.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-STE-0887 steel scrap shredded, index, import, cfr Port Qasim, Pakistan was delayed on Tuesday July 16 due to a technical error.
Feedback was received during the consultation period of an immaterial nature that would not impact the result of price assessments. Therefore, while no material changes will be made to the methodologies at this stage, clarification indicating that the Effective List price treats changes in annually established discounts during the year as changes in the price. […]
Fastmarkets advises that, as of Wednesday July 10, certain monthly North American ferrous scrap assessments had yet to be settled.