Industry News

1、 Market price and cost
Basic quotation range
The market price of ordinary galvanized light steel keel is about 10-25 US dollars per square meter (equivalent to 37-92 dirhams), while high-end aluminum zinc plated or customized models can reach more than 30 US dollars per square meter (>110 dirhams). The specific price is affected by the brand, specifications, and purchase quantity. Bulk purchases of engineering projects usually receive a 5% -15% discount.
Composition of Import Costs
The export price (FOB) of China's hot rolled coil is about 462 dollars/ton (May 2025), but because the United Arab Emirates does not impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel, the import cost is lower than Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and other neighboring countries;
Transportation premium: The Middle East's dependence on Chinese steel exceeds 50%, and after adding up land transportation costs, the terminal price increases by 10% -25% compared to the factory price in China.

2、 Supply and demand pattern
Infrastructure driven surge in demand
The expansion of Dubai Maktoum Airport (requiring 2 million tons of steel bars), subway extension lines and other large-scale projects are driving the demand for light steel keel;
In Q3 2025, office rent in Riyadh increased by 20.8% year-on-year, reflecting active regional construction activities and indirectly benefiting the UAE market.
Local production capacity and import competition
Local leader Emsteel Group expands production (with a monthly steel bar production capacity of 400000 tons), but high value-added products such as light steel keel still rely on imports;
Chinese brands dominate the mid to low end market through local agents, while high-end projects face competition from Japanese and Korean products.
Quality preference and substitution risk
UAE customers tend to purchase high-quality products. Although the import of low-priced Chinese steel has surged by 60%, local enterprise Emsteel still maintains profit growth (Q1 2025 net profit increased by 1% year-on-year). The scrap steel recycling price is about 2510 yuan/ton, and some low-end projects have a substitution tendency.

3、 Policies and Trends
Open trade environment: Different from the Middle East countries in strengthening anti-dumping, the UAE is open to China's steel imports and does not follow Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in levying tariffs;
Certification barrier: Must comply with UAE national standards certification (such as ESMA), but does not mention mandatory new regulations similar to Saudi SASO;
Long term potential: The Middle East light steel keel market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 5.5% (before 2030), and Dubai's urbanization process will continue to release demand.