📡2026.5.6 Northeast Asia Steel Weekly – Free Sample Preview

eport Date: May 7, 2026 | Coverage: South Korea & Japan

Week-on-Week Comparison Included: April 22–29 vs. April 29 – May 6

This free sample offers a curated look at the most impactful events and data from this week’s report. Subscribers receive the full report, including complete price tables for all eight steel products, detailed policy analysis, import viability assessments with landed cost calculations, and a comprehensive week-on-week deep dive that reveals exactly where the market is heading.

📌 Sample Core Insights (Excerpt)

📌 China HRC Export Prices Breach 500/t FOB After Holiday Restart—▲Chinese HRC (SS400,3mm) export offers surged to 505–510/t FOB on May 6, up sharply from the pre-holiday level of $493–496/t.

📌 Korea Opens New Anti-Dumping Front on Chinese Coated CRC — 22.34–33.67% Duties — ⚠️
On April 16, the Korea Trade Commission issued a preliminary affirmative determination on coated cold-rolled steel from China, proposing provisional duties of 22.34% (Baotou Steel), 26.28% (Shougang Jingtang), 33.67% (other suppliers), and 25.75% (remaining exporters). This opens a second major trade remedy front, following the HRC AD duties already in place. Chinese coated CRC access to Korea is effectively closed at the preliminary stage. [KTC, reported May 4]

📌 Baltic Dry Index Surges 47% in One Month to Near 3,000 — Five-Month High — ▲
The BDI surged to 2,832 on May 5, jumped a further 5.61% on May 6 to approximately 2,991, and closed at 2,873 on May 7. The Capesize Index reached 4,703 points. Since early April, the index has climbed from 2,030 — a staggering +47% increase. Freight costs now add an estimated $8–13/t to landed import costs compared with one month ago. [Baltic Exchange]

📌 Japan Intervenes to Defend Yen — First Operation Since July 2024 — ▲
The Bank of Japan and Ministry of Finance intervened on April 30, with a second suspected operation on May 6, pushing USD/JPY from above 158 toward the 155 level. The estimated intervention size: ¥5.48 trillion ($35 billion). Combined with KRW strength (1,456, two-month high), local currency appreciation is partially offsetting elevated freight costs for Northeast Asian importers. [Reuters / Mitrade]

💰 Sample Price & Change Comparison (Partial View)

Subscribers receive complete tables for all eight products across China, Korea, and Japan, with precise weekly, monthly, and in some cases yearly changes.

🛡️ Sample Policy & Supply Chain Update (Excerpt)

New Korea Coated CRC AD Case Restructures Flat Steel Trade

The KTC’s preliminary affirmative determination on Chinese coated CRC (Case No. 2026-8) proposes provisional duties ranging from 22.34% to 33.67%. The investigation was initiated following complaints from domestic Korean coated steel producers who argued that Chinese imports were causing material injury. Even before a final determination, the risk of retroactive duties makes Chinese-origin coated CRC a high-risk procurement choice. Korean domestic producers — POSCO, Hyundai Steel, KG Steel, and SeAH Coated Metal — along with Japanese alternative suppliers, are expected to capture the displaced import volume.

Iran Export Ban: May 30 Deadline Approaches

Iran’s official suspension of slab and HRC exports remains in effect with an estimated 10 million tonnes of annual capacity offline. The global semi-finished supply gap persists at 2–2.5 million tpy. Iranian state media has indicated that if the state of emergency continues, the ban will be extended beyond May 30. This uncertainty is front-loading demand from MENA and Southeast Asian buyers — demand that is being channeled through Chinese and Indian billet exporters.

Japan’s Anti-Circumvention Rules Now Operational

Anti-circumvention rules introduced in April 2026 are now being evaluated for application to the ongoing cold-rolled stainless steel AD investigation. This marks a transition from legislative proposal to enforcement reality. Exporters using third-country routing to access the Japanese market face new compliance risks.

💡 Sample Actionable Advice (Preview)

The full report contains six tailored action items for each audience, with specific rationales, target markets, and implementation timelines.

📥 Get the Full Report

This free sample is only a fraction of the intelligence delivered each week. Subscribers to the Northeast Asia Steel Weekly Report receive:

• 8 product price tables (billet, rebar, HRC, CRC, HDG, carbon steel pipe, stainless steel, CRGO) with FOB, domestic, and import parity data for China, Korea, and Japan.
• Week-on-week and month-on-month comparisons to track market direction with precision.
• Import viability assessments with landed cost calculations under Korea’s price undertaking vs. full AD duty — including the new coated CRC duties.
• Comprehensive policy tracker: Korea HRC AD duties (with full approved exporter list), new Korea coated CRC AD case, Japan cold-rolled stainless steel & HDG investigations, anti-circumvention legislation status, CBAM/IAA compliance requirements.
• Supply chain dynamics: POSCO Gwangyang EAF commissioning timeline, scrap storage expansion, port congestion indices, BDI freight trends, Iran supply gap updates.
• Currency and FX risk analysis: USD/KRW and USD/JPY with quantified impact on import costs, including Japan intervention tracking.
• Forward-looking price forecast for the coming week with three supporting arguments and one key downside risk.
• Full week-on-week deep dive analysis comparing the current reporting week to the prior week across seven dimensions: price trends, policy changes, exchange rates, logistics, market sentiment, new significant data, and overall trajectory.

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Contact Amy directly at amy@amyinsights.com