Saudi Arabian exports of flat products under HS codes 7208-7212 surged 86% on-year in March to 46,967 tonnes, according to new General Authority for Statistics data monitored by Kallanish.

This was driven by a 206% surge in hot rolled flats exports to 34,950t. Unpickled HR wide strip under 3mm thick shipments to United Arab Emirates more than doubled to 15,079t. Meanwhile, India and Turkey took in 6,061t and 5,023t respectively of pickled HR wide strip above 4.75mm thick versus zero each a year earlier.

March exports of cold rolled flats doubled to 6,748t thanks to strong demand from Bahrain and UAE, but coated flats exports halved to 5,179t due to lower intake from the US, Jordan and Kuwait.

In the first quarter Saudi exports of flats thus rose 6% on-year to 117,868t.

HR flats shipments increased 8% to 84,916t. This was despite a -28% drop in unpickled HR wide strip under 3mm thick exports to UAE to 34,852t. Shipments of pickled HR wide strip above 4.75mm thick to Turkey and India totalled 15,025t and 6,061t respectively versus zero each in Q1 2017. Exports of HR wide strip floorplate in coils fell -6% to Jordan to 14,313t.

CR flats exports surged 68% in Q1 to 16,833t. Further worked CR plate/sheet exports to Kuwait fell -18% to 6,944t. However, Bahrain and UAE took in 5,686t and 3,375t respectively versus zero and 119t last year.

However, first-quarter coated flats exports slumped -30% to 15,740t. This was partly due to ceased trading with Qatar following its political spat with Saudi. Exports of the most-traded coated product, hot-dip galvanized coil, slumped to only 364t to the US versus 3,177t a year earlier. HDG shipments to UAE and Kuwait slumped -9% and -19% respectively to 3,622t and 2,595t. This follows a sharp on-year increase to these three destinations in full-year 2017.