China: Tangshan Steel Market Review, April 3rd 2019

Yesterday, the ex-factory price of general carbon billet in Tangshan, Changli and Qian'an areas was partially stabilized at RMB 3, 450/MT. Today, Changli area led the gain of RMB 10/MT to report at RMB 3, 460/MT. The billet trading was tepid, and the prices of finished products were in disarray. The specific transactions are as follows:

Construction steel: Mainstream construction steel in Tangshan market rose by RMB 20/MT, and the current market price of rebar HRB400 of big specification is at RMB 3, 970/MT, small sized at RMB 4,040/MT, while coiled rebar at RMB 4, 090/MT.

HRC: Tangshan HRC market rose by RMB 20-30/MT, with 3.0mm coils at RMB 3, 850/MT, mainstream price of 5.5mm flattened at RMB 3, 830-3,840/MT, and Q345 flattened at RMB 4, 000/MT. The trading performance has been positive.

Medium plate: Mid-plate in Tangshan rose by RMB 20/MT, and now price of general carbon plate 14-22mm is reported at RMB 3, 970/MT and low alloy plate at RMB 4, 170/MT. The transaction has been positive.

Billet: Mill direct sales are in regular volume. The ex-warehouse spot price is at RMB 3, 520-3,530/MT including tax, with a few transactions. The billet inventory at warehouses Xiangyu Zhengfeng and Haiyi Hongrun totaled 719,600 tons, down 14,900 tons. The overall transaction of finished product is insufficient. It is expected that the billet may remain stable in the afternoon.