Operating Rates of Blast Furnaces Surge Wow Last Week as Many Blast Furnaces in East China Resume Production

[Vietnam] The Southeast Asian flat steel market is showing signs of divergence, with coil prices in Vietnam moving upwards in line with higher offers from domestic steel mills, pushing the benchmark import HRC price up 2 USD/tonne to 527 USD/tonne CFR Vietnam. A major Vietnamese steel producer announced new monthly offers on September 3rd, lifting SS400 and SAE1006 HRC prices by 10 USD/tonne for October deliveries, setting them at 540–543 USD/tonne CFR depending on the delivery port, with a discount of roughly 10 USD/tonne for bulk buyers. Concurrently, HRC imports from Indonesia were quoted at 530 USD/tonne CFR, and Indian material was recorded at 530–535 USD/tonne CFR. However, import prices remained unattractive to domestic buyers due to a narrow price gap with local Vietnamese mills, and no transactions were recorded as market participants had just returned from a holiday. This contrasted sharply with weakness in China, where both domestic and export HRC prices fell amid sluggish market sentiment and quiet trading.

[Turkey] Turkish domestic rebar prices extended their upward trajectory, with mills continuing to push up asking prices amid moderately active market conditions. Domestic rebar prices increased by 10 USD/tonne to 605–610 USD/tonne ex-works (excluding VAT). Regionally, major mills in the Marmara area quoted 620–625 USD/tonne ex-works, while primary producers in Izmir and Iskenderun offered at 600 USD/tonne ex-works. Although terminal demand remained only moderately active without heavy inventory stockpiling by downstream buyers, steady procurement flows were supported by a reviving construction sector and tight supply for certain rebar specifications. Concurrently, the domestic wire coil market saw brisk trading, with several mills in Marmara and Izmir securing notable sales at 620–630 USD/tonne ex-works. In contrast, the export market for long steel remained relatively sluggish. Wire coil export offers from Izmir were raised by 15 USD/tonne from the previous week to 620 USD/tonne, though buyers maintained strong resistance; similarly, rebar export offers were recorded at 610 USD/tonne fob, but overall demand was extremely weak as buyers stepped back to wait and see following sharp price surges over the past two weeks.