Tehran, Iran, Oct. 17
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
The trade statistics of 12 countries indicate that Iran has been exporting steel at significantly lower prices than rivals, while much of the export is not mentioned in the Iranian Customs Administration’s statistics releases.
Data presented by Italy, the UAE, Spain, India, Oman, Portugal, Poland, Algeria, Belgium, Jordan, the UK, and Germany show that in 2016 these countries together imported 484,000 tons of HRS (hot rolled sheet) from Iran.
South Korea, Italy, and Turkey came as the three biggest importers of HRS in 2016, constituting a third of the world’s imports. While the average price of HRS imported by these countries stood at $400 (varying between $358 and $497), the price for imports from Iran stood at $331 per ton.
In 2016, Italy imported 282,000 tons (worth $88 million) of HRS from Iran, constituting 58 percent of the reported steel that countries imported from Iran.
The UAE and Spain followed Italy with 57,000 tons (worth $2 million) each.
In the meantime, the Iran Customs Administration’s report of the corresponding fiscal year didn’t show any exports to of HRS (tariff coded 720839) to European countries or the UAE.
However, the same year 385,000 tons of HRS under tariff code of 720825 was exported to Italy, the administration reported. The value of the exported amount was $215 million at $558 per ton.
The same tariff code’s export to the UAE for that fiscal year stood at 336,000 tons and was valued at $180 million at $535 per ton.
There is a great gap between stated HRS values of the Iranian Customs Administration and the corresponding bodies of Italy and the UAE.
The average price per ton of HRS exported to Italy stood at $558 as stated by the Iranian customs, while the Italian customs put it at $312.
As for the UAE, the Iranian side stated $535 per ton, while the Emirates put it at $353.
Also, great discrepancy is seen between the price of steel that countries imported from Iran and a third country.
In 2016, Iran stood as the second greatest exporter of HRS to Italy. While Russia exported 487,000 tons of the product to Italy, ranking first, Iran exported 287,000 tons. However, Iran stood as the fourth greatest exporter of HRS to Italy in terms of value, falling behind Germany and South Korea.
Also, while the average price of Italy’s HRS import from India, Slovakia, Germany and Turkey stood above $400 per ton, the price stood at $312 for HRS imported from Iran.
Nevertheless, during the same year, Iran stood as the second greatest exporter of HRS to the UAE with 57,000 tons, following Saudi Arabia with 167,000 tons.
Here as well, while the value of the UAE’s HRS imported from Iran stood at $353 per ton, the average value of the Arab country’s HRS import from India, South Korea, and China stood at $504, $442, and $436 per ton, respectively.
In the meantime, the global average HRS price stood at $413 per ton.