Weekly Round-Up: Global ferrous scrap markets slow as Turkiye demand weakens, Ramadan cools Pakistan buying

• • Turkiye-South Asia scrap demand steady but cautious

• • US domestic price gains lift export sentiment

Global ferrous imported scrap markets stayed mostly steady but cautious, with slight softening in Turkiye and the US, selective buying in India and Pakistan, and stable prices in Bangladesh, while Japan and South Korea saw increased activity from investment and pre-holiday restocking.

Turkiye: Deep-sea imported scrap prices stayed mostly stable through the week but gradually softened as weak rebar demand and tight mill margins limited buying interest. US-origin indications held around $380-385/t CFR, and EU offers were near $372-377/t CFR, though muted trading, slow winter collection, higher freight, and weather-related disruptions kept supply tight.

Despite these supports, mills pushed back against higher offers as the scrap-rebar spread narrowed to an unworkable $175/t, with limited finished steel orders making elevated deep-sea prices difficult to sustain.

India: Imported scrap sentiment in India remained subdued through the week, as ample domestic scrap availability and cautious mill buying limited trading activity. Offers across origins moved within a narrow range, with HMS 80:20 mostly at $332-343/t CFR and shredded at $363-365/t CFR, though only a few mills were willing to commit at these levels.

A marginal improvement in the rupee toward the latter part of the week prompted selective buying, resulting in small-volume bookings across Chennai and Mundra for HMS, LMS bundles, turnings, and tin-can material. Middle East-origin shredded scrap firmed to $378-380/t CFR, supported by tightening domestic availability, allowing suppliers to lift offer levels.

Overall, around 6,000-7,000 tonnes of imported scrap were booked during the week. This included approximately 2,000 tonnes of HMS 80:20 at $325-342/t CFR, with the balance comprising HMS 60:40, HMS 90:10, machine-loaded HMS, LMS bundles, turnings, and tin-can bundles, reflecting continued hand-to-mouth procurement by Indian mills

Pakistan: Imported shredded scrap sentiment in Pakistan stayed steady, but prices remain firm, with UK/EU offers mostly above $385-388/t CFR and UAE shredded around $395-400/t CFR. HMS 80:20 was held near $374-375/t CFR, as buying remained selective due to low capacity utilisation of 35-40% and firm domestic scrap at PKR 135,000-140,000/t ($483-501/t).

Market activity stayed quiet through the week, with only a few UAE-origin deals concluded. Buyers resisted higher offer levels and slowed procurement ahead of Ramadan, keeping overall sentiment stable but muted.

Bangladesh: Imported ferrous scrap prices in Bangladesh remained largely unchanged over the week, with limited trading activity keeping the market rangebound. Japanese H2 was steady at $348-350/t CFR, while Australian/Oceania HMS 80:20 held at $345-350/t CFR. HMS 1 was quoted at $355-360/t CFR, shredded at $368-370/t CFR, and PNS from Malaysia/Singapore was offered around $380/t CFR.

Limited trades were reported, including an Australia-origin HMS 90:10 cargo at $360/t CFR, while negotiations around $364-365/t CFR continued. Ahead of the late next week elections, importers largely stayed sidelined. Although domestic scrap availability tightened and local prices held firm at BDT 49,000-50,000/t ($401-409/t), buying remained need-based, with no fresh US bulk offers and sentiment restrained by near-term uncertainty.

Japan: Japan’s Eversteel raised JPY 460 million ($2.93 million) in a Series A round led by Mitsui & Co. and Coreline Ventures to support growing demand for digital scrap quality assessment. The funding will help expand its Iron Butterfly AI inspection platform and deepen its partnership with Mitsui.

South Korea: Imports rose to 65,712 t ahead of the Lunar New Year as mills rushed to restock. SeAH Besteel led the increase, Hyundai Steel added volumes across its plants, and Dongkuk Steel re-entered the market alongside smaller purchases by other mills. The jump reflects pre-holiday buying on expectations of tighter supply afterward.

US: US scrap export prices eased slightly w-o-w in early February, even as domestic sentiment remained firm. Mills raised bids by around $30/t m-o-m amid weather-driven collection disruptions, aiming to secure February volumes early. However, overseas buyer resistance capped export offers, with HMS 80:20 at $375-378/t CFR, softening FOB values despite strong domestic demand.