Aperam increases alloy surcharges

Aperam increases alloy surcharges
French stainless steel producer Aperam is increasing its December alloy surcharges by some €150/tonne ($157) on average compared to November for its austenitic range of flat stainless steels for Europe, Kallanish notes.

Aperam’s surcharges next month for grade 304 (1.4301) will increase from €2,464/t to €2,680/t, effective 1 December. Grade 316 will hike from €4,180/t to €4,264/t next month. Grade 309S, a heat-resistant stainless steel used in high-temperature applications, will tick up from €3,645/t in November to €3,731/t in December. The surcharge for the most popular ferritic grade, 409, will however decrease from €928/t to €851/t next month, the company reveals.

Nickel prices have been highly volatile over the past few days. The London Metal Exchange (LME) has been enhancing trading surveillance since mid-month due to sharp fluctuations that saw nickel values spiking to almost $31,000/t, only to fall sharply again on Wednesday last week to $28,555/t. This has brought back memories of the March trading suspensions.

Offers for nickel cash buyers meanwhile reached $25,600/t on 25 November.

Natalia Capra France