Plate prices in Turkey has remained relatively stable over the past couple of weeks while only some suppliers are eager to provide discounts in order to support sales, mainly domestic suppliers. Import plate activity has been a bit silent since European prices are considered high while Asian material is available for extended delivery.
The local plate market has witnessed a certain weakening over the past two weeks. The domestic producer officially stands at $800/mt ex-works for St37 plate grade, with around $10-15/mt discounts considered applicable, buyers report. Previously, the supplier’s offers stood at $800-820/mt ex-works. In the retail market, the traders are pricing St37 plate at $830-850/mt ex-warehouse, while S355 material is available at around $950/mt ex-warehouse, SteelOrbis has learned.
In the import segment, the most attractive prices are still for Asian origins, but those traditionally include long lead time risks. For instance, the prices from South Korea are now at $750/mt CFR but for June deliveries. In the meantime, Chinese St37 plate is on offer at $660/mt CFR for May deliveries, while earlier in February the prices for the base shipbuilding grades stood at $700/mt CFR. Ex-Europe offers remain the highest in the market: Bulgaria and Romania are still offering at $885/mt CFR and $860-870/mt CFR, respectively, both for end-of-April production. In addition, Macedonia is in the market with €800/mt CFR offers for shipbuilding grades.