Korea's plate stock levels hit a record high in July

摘要

Heavy plate inventories held by Korean steelmakers hit an all-time high of 450,300 tonnes as of end-July, up 15% from 392,500t in June, thanks to high operation ratios among the mills during summer's low demand season. Stock levels at end-July last year were only 208,000 t, according to data from the Korea Iron & Steel Association. Total plate output in Korea between January and July soared by 38% year-on-year to 6.6m t on the back of high capacity utilization ratios at the three producers Posco, Dongkuk Steel Mill and Hyundai Steel.