Asia Pacific-Japan leads the regional trend of FOB slag price increases by the end of September

In the second quarter of 2020, slag export prices declined an estimated 0.2 percent year-on-year, while volumes increased to an estimated 7 million tons, according to the 2Q2020 update of CW Research's Global Cement Trade Price Report.

ÔÇ£At the end of the third quarter, CW Research forecasts a regional trend of increase in FOB slag prices, Asia-Pacific-Japan leading this increase as economic activity picks up in the region, mainly due to Chinese growthÔÇØ, observes Juliana Vieira, Business Analyst at CW Group.

Asia Pacific-Japan leads the increase of FOB slag prices

In the month of June, Asia Pacific-Japan FOB prices had a mild increase to USD 19 per ton, after economies had suffered a slowdown due to the lockdowns adopted by major regional governments in the first few months of this year.

China witnessed the biggest decline in slag FOB prices, with around 9 percent decrease from March to June due to the impact of Covid-19 on its economy. Japan's market is forecasted to remain the lowest price point for slag FOB prices globally, at almost half the regional average.

Slag volumes increase in second quarter

Slag traded volumes slightly increased during the second quarter when compared to the previous quarter, with overall volumes totaling 7 million tons. During this period, countries in Asia-Pacific-Japan exported over 4 million tons. Japan remains the largest exporter of slag, accounting for over 44 percent of the total trade, mainly directed towards Bangladesh and the US. Western Europe and the Mediterranean Basin were the second and third largest exporters in the second quarter of 2020, together accounting for almost 2 million tons, with Germany representing almost 7 percent of global trade.

The Global Cement Trade Price Report (GCTPR) is CW Research's benchmark price assessment for monthly gray cement, white cement, clinker and granulated blast furnace slag prices and volumes. The 150+ page report, published on a quarterly basis, serves as the industry go-to source for monthly price data for over 70 individual markets worldwide, including multiple cornerstone data series: import, export, ex-works and market prices.

Find out more about the report here.