Apparent steel demand in the first half of 2019, till June, in the Asean-6 countries – Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam – is estimated to have risen by 5.9pc to 39mn mt.
Steel imports are recorded at 25mn mt, up 6pc from the same period last year.
Steel exports surged to 7.5mn mt rising 17pc year on year.
Indonesia
Steel demand in Indonesia rose 3pc amidst a jump in finished long steel demand.
Domestic steel production is up 11-12pc in both long and flat steel.
Exports of finished flats rose significantly, as Krakatau Posco and Tsingshan steel ramped up output for exports.
Malaysia
Steel demand in Malaysia rose 1.4pc.
Total domestic steel production rose 44pc to 2.4mn mt from the prior year
Finished long steel production rose 44pc to 2.3mn mt, from 1.6mn mt the prior year
Finished flat steel production is at 0.1mn mt, nearly double the previous year.
Alliance Steel continues to ramp up volume of its finished long steel, but overall flat steel production was impacted by the shutdown of major hot rolled steel producer.
Philippines
Steel demand in the Philippines dropped 4.4pc to 5mn mt.
Finished long steel demand rose 2pc to 3.3mn mt on growth in the construction sector.
Finished long steel production is up 7pc on the year to substitute imports.
Finished flat steel demand rose 9pc to 1.7mn mt.
Singapore
Steel demand in Singapore dropped 16pc to 1.2mn mt, partly due to the destocking activity brought about by the merger between two large steel fabricators in the market.
Total steel production dropped 11pc to below 300,000mt.
Thailand
Steel demand in Thailand dropped 2.7pc to 9.3mn mt.
Finished long steel demand dropped 5.4pc to 3.4mn mt.
Finished flat steel demand dropped 1pc to nearly 6mn mt.
Finished long steel production dropped 9pc to 2.6mn mt could be a result from ongoing destocking activities in the country.
Finished flat steel production dropped by 20pc to 1.4mn mt.
Vietnam
Steel demand rose 22.6pc to 11.8mn mt, on the back of numerous construction projects. Finished long steel demand rose 11pc to 5.7mn mt.
Finished flat steel demand rose 33pc to 6mn mt by 1.5mn mt from the prior year.
Finished long steel production rose 10pc to 5.7mn mt.