Iran: Finished steel exports fall 12% y-o-y in H1 of Persian year

Iran's finished steel exports in the first half (H1) of the current Persian year (March-September, 2022) stood at 1.42 million tonnes (mnt), registering a 12% fall compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA).

• Exports of long products were recorded at 1.26 mnt, a y-o-y decline of 4%, while flat product exports fell sharply by 47% y-o-y to 0.16 mnt.
  
  
• Exports of billets and blooms totalled 2.19 mnt, down 6% y-o-y.
  
  
• Slab export volumes were recorded at 0.74 mnt, a fall of 36% compared to the same period last year.
  
  

Outlook

Iran steel billets export volumes are expected to remain on the lower side amid low demand from key importing nations. Meanwhile, futures trade-related activities also depend on the results of the current political negotiations. However, billets export prices are expected to witness an increase in recent deals followed by a hike in global scrap prices.