Italy
The domestic commodity-grade steel heavy plate market in Italy remained flat during the assessment week, with no movement in prices observed for three consecutive weeks.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe on Wednesday was €630-650 ($712.08-734.68) per tonne, unchanged from €630-650 per tonne seven days ago.
Market participants were bearish amid weak demand.
“In Southern Europe quart and rerollers are still facing a very difficult time as there is simply not enough demand, and stockholders and end-users are only purchasing missing dimensions or grades,” one source told Fastmarkets.
The source added that new import orders into the region have been minimal due to sufficient stocks at low prices and short delivery times for in-stock material.
Northern Europe
Northern Europe domestic plate prices widened downward during the pricing week, with sources noting an uptick in inquiries but limited orders.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Northern Europe was €670-700 per tonne on Wednesday, widening downward €10 from €680-700 per tonne a week earlier.
Fastmarkets heard that plate mills have been trying to lift prices, but such moves were mostly unsuccessful, with customers only purchasing what they “urgently need”.
Sources said that rerollers had been targeting higher market levels, trying to follow the upward trend in Europe’s flat hot-rolled coil market in recent months, but plate prices remained largely flat.
US tariffs continued to be of concern, with the first source saying such measures could impact import trade flows from third countries, as well as potentially limiting steel export levels.
