Posted on 05 Aug 2022
Slumping finished steel exports almost completely offset surging Iranian semi-finished steel exports in the first three months of the Iranian calendar through 21 March 2023, or 21 March-21 June, Kallanish notes.
Iran's semi-finished and finished steel combined exports grew only 0.8% on-year in the first quarter of the Iranian year.
Finished steel shipments slumped 30.2% to 609,000 tonnes, while semi-finished steel exports grew 17.6% to 1.9 million tonnes, according to data posted on the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA)'s online Chilan portal.
"The Iranian government's export duty tariffs, imposed 21 March onwards for three months, discounted Russian material in Iran's traditional export markets, and shrinking global and Chinese demand all impacted Iranian exports negatively,” an insider explains.
Billet and bloom exports grew 25% to 1.32mt, while slab exports increased 3.7% to 584,000t.
When it comes to finished products, negative performance in longs dragged despite growth in flats.
Three-month longs exports shrank 35.3% on-year to 507,000t from 784,000t recorded in the corresponding period in 2021, whereas flats exports increased 14.6% to 102,000t.
Rebar and wire rod exports plummeted 32.3% to 463,000t. In the flats segment, hot rolled coil shipments were up 3.5% to 59,000t. Exports of coated coil – mainly hot-dip galvanised sheet – increased by 38.7% to 43,000t and cold rolled coil by 500% to 6,000t.
Direct reduced iron exports plunged 70.4% to 95,000t from last year's 321,000t.
Source:Kallanish
