European heavy plate prices edged down again in the week to June 13, as mills grew increasingly flexible to fill July and early August production slots amid subdued spot demand.
The downtrend persisted despite a lack of meaningful competition from imports, which largely remained unworkable at current levels.
Domestic tradable values in Italy were widely reported at Eur600-620/mt ex-works, with distributors seeing Eur620-650/mt delivered depending on location and specification. Market participants pointed to weak demand and buyer hesitation, as most waited for clearer signs of a price floor before committing to new volumes.
“We are in the lowest phase of the market now — buyers use import prices as a reference but hesitate to act domestically, waiting for the bottom,” a mill source said.
Import offers into Italy were heard around Eur590-600/mt CIF from Asia for S275 material, but these levels failed to generate fresh interest as local prices were already close.
“Imports aren’t attractive enough to disrupt, and with freight and quota uncertainties, people prefer to stick with domestic options when price gaps are minimal,” a trader noted.
On the slab side, plate-quality slab offers into Italy were seen at $490-$500/mt CIF, mainly from China, India, and Russia. Slabs for coil production were reportedly available as low as $470/mt CIF ex-Indonesia, though buyers highlighted that price differences reflected variations in slab dimensions and end use.
Market participants said the psychological support level for plate pricing was now around Eur600/mt, with mills focused on sustaining throughput rather than holding firm on prices.
Platts assessed heavy plate in South Europe at Eur615/mt ex-works Italy, down Eur5 on the week, and in Northern Europe at Eur680/mt ex-works Ruhr, stable on the week.
Platts assessed slab at $495/mt CIF Italy, stable on the week. Platts is part of S&P Global Commodity Insights.
