STEEL SCRAP WRAP: Turkish mills stay out of market, Asia prices edge downward

Turkish mills were largely inactive in the import scrap market over the week ended Friday August 27, while prices in key Asian markets were affected by the low levels of interest among mills for imported cargoes.

  • Turkey books just one deep sea cargo during week
  • US prepares for fall in domestic prices
  • Vietnamese import prices constrained by rise in Covid-19 cases
  • Chinese scrap buyers hold back from imports
  • Taiwanese sentiment worsened by cut in Japan local price
  • Indian import scrap demand still muzzled by monsoon season.

Turkey
The bellwether Turkish import scrap market had a quiet week, booking a single cargo over the past seven days, sources told Fastmarkets.

Mills in the country kept their deep-sea purchases slow over the week because they found it difficult to make finished steel sales. Steelmakers dropped export rebar offers to $670-675 per tonne fob on an actual-weight basis this week, compared with $680-695 per tonne fob last week, sources said.

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
Exporters in the United States opted to reduce their dock sales prices in the week to Wednesday amid a weaker Turkish market and expectations of a decline in September’s domestic trade. On the West Coast, offer prices for scrap to Asia were supported by very high freight costs.

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
Ferrous scrap trading in Vietnam remained thin during the week, with the worsening Covid-19 pandemic reducing demand in the country, sources said.

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

China
Chinese steel scrap importers continued to avoid importing steel scrap this week despite a drop in offer prices heard from South Korea, sources said.

Pricing history
steel scrap, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr China

Taiwan
Spot prices for steel scrap imported in containers into Taiwan stayed flat over the past week amid a negative outlook from the buy side.

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

India
Prices for shredded steel scrap imported into Pakistan and India fell over the past week with the monsoon season continuing to depress demand in India.

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

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