📡2026.7.1 Northeast Asia Steel Weekly – Free Sample Preview

Report Period: June 24 – July 1, 2026
Cover: South Korea | Japan

Week-on-Week Comparison Included: June 17–24 vs. June 24 – July 1

This free sample offers a curated look at this week’s most market‑moving events and data. Subscribers receive the full report, including complete price tables for all eight steel products, the expanded anti‑dumping alternative‑sourcing matrix with specification details, landed‑cost sensitivity reference, a comprehensive week‑on‑week deep dive, and the enhanced market structure section — everything you need to navigate the permanently reshaped trade architecture.

📌 Sample Core Insights (Excerpt)

📌 Korea HRC AD Final Duties Take Effect — ⚠️
Effective July 1, 2026, South Korea’s five‑year anti‑dumping duties on HRC from China and Japan are formally in force. Chinese exporters face 28.16–33.10% ; Japanese suppliers face 31.58–33.43% . Nine Chinese producers and twelve Japanese trading entities retain duty‑free access under price undertakings. A new quarterly minimum‑price revision mechanism, based on domestic indices and the KRW/USD exchange rate, is now operational. [MOEF, July 1]

📌 Japan Issues Affirmative Preliminary AD Ruling on Cold‑Rolled Stainless Steel — 🛡️
On June 19, Japan’s Ministry of Finance issued an affirmative preliminary ruling on cold‑rolled stainless steel from China and Taiwan. Preliminary dumping margins of 33.29% were assigned to major Chinese producers including Shanxi TISCO and Guangdong Yongjin. Definitive duties are expected to follow, effectively closing the Japanese market for Chinese‑origin cold‑rolled stainless. [MOF, June 19]

📌 China Export Prices Continue Gradual Decline — ▼
HRC SS400 slipped to **$490–500/t FOB** (midpoint $495), down $1.5/t** week‑on‑week, as the stronger yuan and softer domestic futures weighed on offers. Billet eased to **$463–465/t FOB after touching an intra‑week low of $458–462/t. The correction is decelerating but persistent. [SMM, June 30]

📌 KRW Slides to 1,546 — Weakest in 17 Years — ▼
The won depreciated 2.92% over the past month and is now 13.31% weaker year‑over‑year. Every percentage point of depreciation adds approximately $5–8/t to landed import costs, completely offsetting the recent FOB price decline. [Trading Economics, June 26]

📌 BDI Drops to 2,524 — Freight Costs Easing — 📉
The Baltic Dry Index fell 198 points week‑on‑week to 2,524 on June 26, extending its retreat from spring highs. The return of Iranian shipping and gradual Hormuz normalisation are reducing war risk premiums. [Baltic Exchange]

💰 Sample Price & Change Comparison (Partial View)

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

🛡️ Sample Policy & Supply Chain Update (Excerpt)

Korea’s AD Architecture Is Now Fully Operational

The July 1 enforcement of final HRC duties, combined with the June 12 coated CRC provisional duties and the ongoing alloy steel wire rod investigation, has created a comprehensive trade barrier wall. The new quarterly minimum‑price revision mechanism under the HRC price undertaking framework links import prices to Chinese and Japanese domestic indices and the KRW/USD exchange rate. Procurement managers must now track these adjustments alongside traditional price indices to calculate accurate landed costs.

Japan’s Stainless Steel Market Begins to Close

The affirmative preliminary ruling on cold‑rolled stainless steel from China and Taiwan represents a significant escalation in Japan’s trade defence posture. With proposed margins of 33.29%, Chinese material will be uncompetitive once definitive duties are imposed. Korean, Vietnamese, and Malaysian suppliers are the most likely beneficiaries of the resulting trade diversion.

POSCO’s EAF and the Shifting Scrap Balance

The completed 2.5 million tpy Gwangyang electric arc furnace is now producing low‑carbon steel. Its annual scrap demand of approximately 2 million tonnes will structurally tighten Korean domestic scrap supply and reduce POSCO’s reliance on imported billet. Billet exporters to Korea face a declining demand trajectory, while scrap suppliers face a growing opportunity.

💡 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 mechanism vs. final AD duties — and Japan’s expanding trade barriers.
• Critical Dates & Deadlines calendar — a centralized timeline of all upcoming policy, trade, and production events.
• AD Alternative‑Sourcing Matrix — which products are blocked, which remain duty‑free, and exactly which mills can supply which grades under which standards.
• Landed‑Cost Sensitivity Reference — how FOB, freight, FX, and war risk premium moves impact your all‑in cost.
• Raw‑Material Substitution Tracker — the scrap‑billet cost spread, POSCO EAF ramp‑up impact, and Kanto tender trends.
• Market structure deep dive by product: market size, growth drivers, local competitiveness, import dependency, and competitive positioning.
• Forward‑looking price forecast for the coming week with three supporting arguments and one key downside risk.
• Full week‑on‑week deep dive analysis across seven dimensions: price trends, policy, FX, logistics, sentiment, new data, and overall trajectory.

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Contact Amy directly at amy@amyinsights.com