Iranian billet export trade under pressure of sanctions, slow seasonal demand
Iran’s billet segment continued to face pressure in early November amid weak global demand, increased competition from other origins, and the impact of new sanctions on trade flows. While billet suppliers remained cautious in setting new targets, slab exporters demonstrated stronger activity.
Iranian billet can be potentially booked at $415-420/t FOB for December shipment, while some offers through traders were voiced at $405/t FOB. Most Iranian suppliers are cautious in voicing their target prices. “They are refusing to include information due to the new sanctions conditions,” one of the key producers told Metal Expert.
Overall, the international market is currently experiencing its low season. “There are too many cargoes available from other countries, so the buyers hesitate to restock from Iran. They only buy when the prices are comparatively high globally, and they accept the risk to buy Iranian products despite all the new sanctions,” a senior market analyst told Metal Expert. Moreover, the recent drop in Chinese billet tags affected the current moods.
Iran’s domestic billet trade structure also hinders its foreign trade operations. “Billet export has reduced as most buyers are interested in semis from EAFs, which are produced by big factories, while a significant portion of overseas trade is done by IF-based mills at $20-30/t below the prices from flagship plants. The producers of IF billet have problems with export as the previous interest from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other neighbouring countries is low nowadays. It is one of the reasons,” Keyvan Jafari Tehrani told Metal Expert.
Given the slow trading activity, Metal Expert decided to inch down its weekly price assessment for Iranian export billets by $3/t to $410/t FOB on November 6.
Meanwhile, activity in the slab segment was quite high in November, with some transactions taking place. Although information regarding specific deals is lacking, Iranian slabs for December shipment are estimated by market participants at $415-418/t FOB, Metal Expert has learnt.
Source: metalexpert