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.

What to read next
The Philippines’ steel industry is entering an inflection point, with the market gradually evolving from import reliance toward a more balanced and supply-secure growth trajectory supported by domestic investment and capacity expansion.
Fastmarkets has launched five core carbon principle (CCP) carbon credit price assessments, covering landfill gas and cookstove projects, on Tuesday April 28.
China’s emergence over the past two decades has reshaped global trade. What began as rapid export-led expansion in the early 2000s has evolved into a far more strategic model: one centered on control of intermediate goods, deep integration into global supply chains, and the creation of structural dependencies across industries and regions, according to Mexico’s former ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo.
The US has stepped up calls for its allies to accept higher costs for sourcing critical minerals outside China, arguing that supply chain security must take precedence over price efficiency – a stance that is reshaping expectations across metals markets but has yet to translate into durable pricing support.
Fastmarkets has corrected its EN-BD-0032 Renewable diesel, del Los Angeles, $/gal assessment that was published incorrectly on Friday April 17 due to a reporter error.
Fastmarkets has corrected the price for MB-STE-0524 Steel scrap No1 busheling, consumer buying price, delivered mill Chicago, $/gross ton, weekly composite, which was published incorrectly on April 10 and April 17 at $449 per gross ton due to a procedural error. It has been corrected to $450 per gross ton.