French steel prices remain largely stable, though uncertainty and subdued volumes continue to dominate the market, Kallanish notes.
Producer capacity currently exceeds consumption not only in France but also in Spain and Italy, where long product stocks remain elevated.
Producers’ margins are already under pressure from high costs, and further reductions in production rates are expected to weigh heavily on their 2025 financial results.
For now, French steel prices remain broadly flat compared with early September, with some products seeing moderate declines. Downstream, distributors report steady activity during September but continue to face strong pressure on margins.
“Every time we try to raise prices we lose orders. We also lose business to cheaper material imported from Italy and Spain,” one source says.
Profitability concerns are deepening, and together with competition from lower-priced imports, domestic French values have struggled to gain ground.
Stocks are reportedly rising throughout the entire value chain, although one distributor notes that his sector is opting to keep inventories thin. Overall, both end-users and distributors continue to prefer smaller, more frequent orders rather than committing to large volumes.
Current market volumes remain insufficient to offset the impact of thin margins. Foreign merchant bar producers have re-entered the market with aggressive offers, adding further pressure on domestic suppliers.
Merchant bar prices are holding steady at €210–230/tonne ($247-271/t) base delivered, excluding size extras. Rebar values also remain unchanged, averaging around €600/t delivered, with sales limited to relatively small lots. Sections are similarly stable at €750/t delivered.
A buyer and a seller both note that consumption of sections has been relatively healthy over the past three weeks.
Natalia Capra France
