SE Asia steel exports jump 20% in H1 2021 on boom in downstream demand

Exports of finished steel from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) rose by 20.4% year-on-year in January-June 2021 amid rising demand in both Asia and Europe, according to the latest statistics from the South East Asia Iron & Steel Institute (Seaisi).

Both long and flat steel exports flourished in the first half of the year, against a backdrop of rising prices and improved demand in sectors such as automotive and construction, with many industries having emerged from the malaise created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Steel capacity in some Asean countries has also risen this year, with Indonesian mill Dexin Steel starting to cast slab in June and now expecting to achieve 4 million tonnes per year of crude steel output by the end of 2022. Vietnam's Hoa Phat started its blast furnace No4 in January 2021 and planned to produce as much as 4 million tpy once the unit is running at full capacity.

Long steel exports from Asean member countries rose by 15.5% year-on-year to 6.2 million tonnes in January-June 2021, while flat steel exports jumped by 26.7% year-on-year to 5.3 million tonnes over the same period, Seaisi said...

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