MMi Daily Iron Ore Report (June 5)

[HRC] HRC export prices remained stable day on day today, with transaction prices at 496-504 USD/tonne. A major mill in north China reported that its transaction price fell by more than 5-10 USD/tonne WoW this week, and its prices remained higher than other resources, at around 515 USD/tonne. The presence of tax-exclusive prices in the market has made it more difficult for some regular traders to close deals. It is learned that tax-exclusive prices are even 10 USD/tonne lower than the market’s lowest tax-inclusive prices. [Rebar] Rebar export FOB quotations remained stable today, with transaction prices mostly concentrated at 492-495 USD/tonne. Shipments are mostly scheduled for August, and some steel mills have full order books, with deliveries already scheduled from September to October. According to feedback from some market traders, recent inquiries for wire rod have been moderate, overseas buyers remain cautious and on the sidelines, and their psychological price levels are generally lower than current offers. [Steel Billet] The export transaction price for steel billet was 473-475 USD/tonne today, holding steady day on day. Recently, offers from steel mills in north China were at around 478 USD/tonne, but it is reported that deals cannot be reached for high-priced resources. Currently, most shipments are scheduled for August, with a few in September. It is learned that a few mills in east China have maintenance plans in June and will continue to control their order intake in the short term. In addition, some mills in north China have recently taken new rebar orders, so they are temporarily reducing the volume of steel billet available for ordering.

[SMM HRC Daily Trading Volume] On June 5, the combined daily HRC trading volume of sample enterprises from SMM's four cities (Shanghai, Lecong, Tianjin, Ningbo) totaled 13,560 mt, up 650 mt day-on-day (+4.7%), up 29.39% Gregorian YoY and 15.11% lunar YoY.

According to preliminary data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), Turkey's hot rolled coil (HRC) imports in April 2026 reached 334,852 metric tons (mt), an increase of 8.2% month-on-month and 46.7% year-on-year, with the import value totaling $181.10 million (+9.2% m-o-m, +38.8% y-o-y). For the January-April 2026 period, total HRC imports amounted to 1,141,364 mt, up 8.1% year-on-year, while the total value rose 3.3% to $620.42 million. In terms of suppliers, Russia became the largest source with 248,889 mt (+9.2% y-o-y), followed by China, which saw a massive 39.6% drop to 229,800 mt, and Malaysia with 223,029 mt. The market impact indicates a clear structural rebalancing of Turkey's HRC supply chain; driven by recent trade defense measures targeting Chinese products, Turkish importers are actively diversifying their supply risks toward Russia, Malaysia, and other origins, demonstrating that while domestic demand remains resilient, procurement has become highly selective regarding price and origin advantages.