Although the upcoming anti-dumping duties may exclude Chinese hot-rolled coils (HRC), Chinese cold-rolled coils (CRC) are currently trading in Taiwan. Market participants said around 10,000 tons were traded in the past two weeks.

They noted that the recent appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar has significantly reduced import costs for Chinese CRC. This exchange rate benefit was encouraging buyers to continue purchasing, even with existing high inventory levels, as they aimed to lower their average inventory costs. Smaller to medium-sized buyers are reportedly the main drivers of this continued demand.

In addition, some buyers are seeking competitive material sources due to the perceived lack of alignment between domestic upstream mill prices and international market trends.