How much Steel does ASEAN-6 Countries Exported in H1 CY8?

The region’s annual steel production was 20-30 MnT last year. However, this year it has been observed that ASEAN’s steel exports have registered an increase of 35% against the corresponding period of the previous year at 6.4 MnT, as per the SEAISI (South East Asia Iron and Steel Institute) data.

Vietnam’s steel export surged by 46% y-o-y basis

Out of this steel export of 6.4 MnT, nearly half of the export was from Vietnam, with the volume surging significantly, by 46% y-o-y to 3.2 MnT.

Vietnam’s long and flat steel exports both increased substantially, by more than 40% y-o-y in the first half of 2018. This is because domestic production of hot rolled coil in Vietnam started in 2017. Hot rolled coil export in the first half of 2018 doubled in volume to 244,000 tonnes whereas cold rolled coil export rose 27% y-o-y to 432,773 tonnes in the same period.

Export of coated sheet registered a significant increase of 46.5% y-o-y to 1.2 MnT in the first half of 2018.

Wire rod export volume more than doubled to 386,217 tonnes in H1 2018, when compared to the same period of 2017. Bar export surged by more than 25% y-o-y to nearly 250,000 tonnes in the same period. However, export of section dropped 12% y-o-y to 162,000 tonnes.

Indonesia’s steel export surges at 1.14 MnT

Indonesia’s finished steel export registered the second highest volume in the region in the first half of 2018, at 1.14 million tonnes. Export of flat steel increased by nearly three folds to 939,148 tonnes while export of long steel doubled in volume to 201,889 tonnes.

In the case of flat steel products, export of hot rolled coil, at 577,226 tonnes in H1 2018, was a robust increase from 9,222 tonnes in the first half of 2017. Export of hot rolled plate registered a double digit growth rate of 20% y-o-y to 268,000 tonnes in the same period.
Cold rolled coil export was not significant in the first half 2018. However, the volume of 47,000 tonnes represented an increase of 87.5% y-o-y compared to the first half of 2017. Indonesia’s coated sheet export was not significant, with volume surging moderately, by 7.5% y-o-y in the first half of 2018.

Indonesia’s long steel export volume was also not significant. Its wire rod export increased 58.5% y-o-y to 46,534 tonnes in H1 of 2018. Bar export rose 13% y-o-y to 29,214 tonnes while section export declined 10% y-o-y to register less than 7,000 tonnes in the same period.

Thailand’s finished steel exports up by 15% y-o-y basis

Thailand’s finished steel export totalled 778,120 tonnes in H1 2018, an increase of 15% y-o-y.  Export of long steel increased 21% y-o-y to 423,466 tonnes while flat steel export surged 8.9% y-o-y to 354,654 tonnes in the same period.

Thailand is not a major exporter for long steel, except for the export of section. Section export in the first half of 2018 declined slightly, by 1% y-o-y to 150,911 tonnes. On the other hand, export of bar increased by a double-digit of 20% y-o-y to 132,804 tonnes in the same period.

Thailand was also not a significant exporter of flat steel. Hot rolled plate export registered 17,123 tonnes in the first half of 2018, a significant increase from 1,214 tonnes in the same period of 2017. Export of hot rolled coil also jumped robustly, from 6,650 tonnes in the first half of 2017, to 29,623 tonnes in the same period of 2018.

Thailand’s cold rolled sheet export expanded moderately, by 6.3% y-o-y to 108,864 tonnes while export of coated sheet dropped marginally, from 102,442 tonnes in the first half of 2017 to 96,892 tonnes in the same period of 2018.

Singapore’s steel export records double-digit growth in H1 CY18

There is no domestic production of flat steel in Singapore. Therefore, export data of flat steel is basically re-export trade.

The re-export of both flat and long steel registered a double-digit growth rate in the first half of 2018. Export of hot rolled plate and coil registered nearly 100,000 tonnes each and the volume increased nearly 30% y-o-y in the first half of 2018. Cold rolled export increased marginally by 1.3% y-o-y to 80,544 tonnes. Export of coated sheet rose 35% y-o-y to 43,125 tonnes in the first half of 2018.

Export of section and wire rod rose sharply, by 44% and 164% y-o-y to 57,508 tonnes and 98,266 tonnes, respectively in the first half of 2018. Export of bar, on the other hand, dropped 13.5% y-o-y to 172,068 tonnes in the same period.

Malaysia’s steel exports decline by 27% y-o-y basis

Malaysia’s finished steel export declined substantially, by 26.5% y-o-y, to 580,978 tonnes in the first half of 2018. This was mainly due to the huge decline in flat steel export of 39.7% y-o-y while export of long steel registered a robust increase of 76.7% y-o-y in the same period of 2018.

Export of hot rolled plate and coil dropped around 30% y-o-y to 43,024 tonnes in the first half of 2018. Export of coated sheet also declined 25.4% y-o-y to 116,700 tonnes in the same period. However, cold rolled sheet export registered a double digit increase of 25.3% y-o-y to 178,140 tonnes in the same period of 2018.

As for long steel export, Malaysia’s export of section registered a significant volume of 367,974 tonnes, an increase of 17% y-o-y, in the first half of 2018. Export of bar rose sharply, by 96.4% y-o-y, to 52,536 tonnes in the same period. Wire rod export jumped significantly, from 17,056 tonnes in the first half of 2017 to 56,883 tonnes in the same period of 2018.

There was no record of finished steel export from Philippines for the first half of 2018. However, the balance quantity of Philippines steel export comes around 0.15 MnT.