Higher export prices of Japanese ferrous scrap prompted Japan's largest electric arc furnace mill to raise domestic collection prices today, marking the third increase in eight days.
Steelmaker Tokyo Steel increased domestic scrap collection prices by ¥500-1,000/t today, its third increase since 22 May.
Prices of scrap delivered to the Tahara plant will go up by ¥1,000/t and prices to all other plants will go up by ¥500/t for all scrap grades. Prices have risen by ¥3,000/t ($27.80/t) at Tahara and by ¥2,000/t ($18.50/t) at other plants since 22 May.
The H2 price is ¥19,500/t delivered to the Tahara plant and ¥19,000t delivered to the Utsunomiya plant.
A widening gap between export and domestic prices fuelled the increases.
The fas Tokyo Bay H2 price has climbed up rapidly on higher demand, by 16pc to a high-low midpoint of ¥23,000/t from ¥19,750/t in mid-April.
Japan's scrap supply has fallen during its Covid-19 state of emergency. Domestic scrap suppliers have shifted sales to the dockside to offer at higher export levels. Mills have no choice, amid lower domestic deliveries, but to raise collection prices to attract inflows.
There remains a price gap with export prices even after Tokyo Steel's three domestic price increases.
Many market participants expect Tokyo Steel to lift prices again in the near future, especially for the Tahara and Utsunomiya plants, which are located in regions where export activities are more active.
Tokyo Steel's price increases have lifted the market outlook for domestic scrap suppliers, which have only slightly increased deliveries to mills as they anticipate further price increases in the short term.
But price sensitivity in overseas markets could limit the upside. Traders are offering at around ¥25,000/t fob Japan for H2, which is not workable into most target markets. Indicative prices of H2 from most buyers in South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan are still below ¥24,000/t fob Japan. Buyers require time to absorb the higher prices as their domestic market finished product prices have remained unchanged for a period of time or that the increase in prices have been much slower than the increase in Japanese scrap prices.
