Taiwan’s stainless steel industry had divergent trends in June, as import volumes surged by 24% month on month to 120,500 tons, hitting a two-year high. However, exports fell back below the 70,000-ton threshold, reaching 68,100 tons, down by 11.9% from May.
Although export volumes contracted, pricing trends showed strength. The export price in June was up by more than NT$450 from the previous month, hitting a new high since last February. Besides, the import price also rose significantly by over NT$1,800 from May, marking a two-and-a-half-year high.
For the first half of the year, total import volumes amounted to about 581,000 tons, exceeding cumulative export shipments of 414,200 tons. This overall performance showed that while manufacturers succeeded in raising their prices, they struggled to achieve simultaneous growth in overseas shipment volumes.