[ferro-alloys.com]Japanese stainless cold rolled coil producers and distributors are becoming increasingly wary about the potential impact on prices of rising stock levels, which they attributed to a recent surge in imports, industry sources said Tuesday.

Stocks of austenitic and ferritic CRC held by Japanese coil centers rose 18.7% year on year to 123,411 mt at end August and were up 0.5% from end July, latest Japan Stainless Coil Center Association data showed.

A Tokyo-based stainless distributor said domestic producers were running at full rates to match the requirements of their long-term contract customers, but a rise in stainless CRC imports meant that supply was outpacing demand, leading to a rise in stocks.

"We are afraid it will lead to market prices weakening," he said. Japan imported 13,881 mt of stainless CRC in August, up 53.8% year on year and up 9.2% from July, latest Trade Statistics of Japan data showed. The main supplier was South Korea at 10,523 mt, up 71.5% on year and up 13.8% on month.

Sales of austenitic and ferritic stainless cold rolled sheet through Japanese coil centers rose 3.4% on year to 52,239 mt in August, but were down 10% on month, the latest JSCA data showed.

Another stainless distributor said some customers relied on imports to meet specific product requirements so a certain volume of arrivals was to be expected, "but overseas suppliers seem have been very aggressive in exporting their material, which has resulted in Japan's stainless CRC stocks increasing," he said.

• [Editor:王可]