- Turkiye: Sharp scrap price declines pressured mills and suppliers
- Japan: Weaker yen boosted export competitiveness despite lower tender
Global ferrous scrap markets remained under pressure in the week ended 10 July as weak steel demand and cautious mill procurement weighed on trading. Renewed Middle East geopolitical tensions also heightened concerns over freight, logistics and supply chain disruptions.
Turkiye: Deep-sea imported ferrous scrap prices fell sharply during the week as weak finished steel demand and poor mill margins continued to pressure buying activity. Mills consistently resisted higher offers, while limited premium-origin cargoes and subdued trading kept market sentiment cautious despite expectations that prices may be nearing a floor.
Europe-origin HMS 80:20 declined to around $363-365/t CFR, while tradable values for US-origin HMS 80:20 softened to $370-375/t CFR. Trading remained concentrated in lower-priced non-premium cargoes, with limited premium-origin deals making price discovery increasingly difficult.
India: Imported ferrous scrap market remained subdued throughout the week as well; mills continued need-based procurement amid weak steel demand and poor import economics. Buying interest for containerised cargoes stayed limited due to a persistent bid-offer gap and weak import viability. Sentiment weakened further toward the week-end as renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East revived concerns over vessel availability, freight costs and supply chain disruptions.
Offer indications for Africa-origin LMS remained around $290/t C&F Mundra (CAD), while HMS was heard at $330/t C&F Mundra (CAD). Europe/UK-origin HMS was workable at $320-330/t CFR, while shredded scrap offers softened to $375-385/t CFR but remained above buyers’ workable levels of $350-370/t CFR. Market participants indicated workable import prices had declined by $5-10/t compared with the previous week.
Freight to India: Container freight rates eased across key routes during the week amid weak import demand, improved vessel availability and subdued bookings. Melbourne-Chennai declined to $930-940/FCL, while London Gateway-Chennai and JNPT softened to $1,300-1,400/FCL and $1,200-1,300/FCL, respectively.
Pakistan: Imported shredded scrap market remained subdued throughout the week as weak steel demand and sluggish construction activity kept mills on need-based procurement. Buying sentiment stayed cautious, while lower domestic rebar prices further pressured import appetite.
UK-origin shredded scrap traded around $390-392/t CFR Qasim during the week, with offers largely steady at $390-395/t CFR and buyer indications at $385-390/t CFR. Despite slightly softer offers, fresh bookings remained limited as mills continued to resist higher prices.
Bangladesh: Imported ferrous scrap trading remained subdued throughout the week as weak steel demand, monsoon disruptions, higher electricity tariffs and squeezed mill margins kept mills on need-based procurement. UK-origin shredded scrap was offered at $394-400/t CFR and HMS at $362-366/t CFR, while buyer indications for HMS 80:20 softened to $355-365/t CFR. Local scrap prices were heard at BDT 52,000-53,000/t ($422-430/t).
Japan: H2 ferrous scrap export prices increased by JPY 1,00/t w-o-w to JPY 52,900/t in the week ended 10 July, inched down slightly in the week to July 8, due of the July Kanto Tender results amid competitive offers and a weak yen.
Tokyo Steel cut H2 scrap purchase prices by JPY 1,000/t ($6/t) at most plants, effective 10 July, lowering buying levels to JPY 52,000-53,000/t. Prices at the Tahara plant remained unchanged at JPY 54,000/t, while Takamatsu quotations stayed suspended.
Additional: The July Kanto H2 export tender settled at JPY 52,508/t ($323/t) FAS, down JPY 1,998/t ($12/t) m-o-m. A weaker yen continued to improve the competitiveness of Japanese scrap exports, with the cargo reportedly awarded to a Vietnam-based buyer.
UAE: Processed ferrous scrap prices remained under pressure during the week ended 9 July as comfortable domestic availability, weak steel demand and cautious buying weighed on sentiment. Processed HMS (80:20) was assessed at AED 988/t DAP Abu Dhabi, down AED 12/t w-o-w, with buyers continuing need-based procurement despite ample supply across major scrap grades.
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