French longs transaction prices are largely stable compared with early February, while asking prices for coil derivative products continue to edge higher, Kallanish notes.
Sheet and tube producers are again attempting to raise prices, due to higher hot rolled coil costs. However, customers are pushing back and refusing the latest offers. Several buyers say activity levels remain challenging, with margins under pressure.
For February delivery, sheet re-rollers and tube producers are seeking further increases of around €30-40/tonne ($35.35-47.38/t). Buyers complain that prices are already “too high” and say they are unable to pass additional increases downstream. If implemented, hot rolled sheet prices would rise to around €770-780/t delivered. One buyer says he will purchase only minimum volumes.
A purchasing group adds that many companies lack the financial capacity to buy at higher price levels. According to several market participants, 2025 was a difficult year for buyers, with banks reducing credit insurance and more closely monitoring their financial performance. Margins for downstream sheets and tubes remain particularly low.
In the longs segment, prices are largely stable week-on-week, although section producers are seeking further increases of around €20-30/t this month, which buyers have yet to accept. Market participants tell Kallanish they intend to negotiate more limited rises.
First-category section prices are currently holding at around €740/t delivered, while merchant bar is flat on-week at around €230/t. Rebar prices are also unchanged compared to the beginning of February at approximately €600-610/t delivered.
The recent wave of price increase announcements for long products across Europe is translating into modest gains so far. While demand is present, activity over the past two weeks has been sluggish. Several mill sources say they expect prices to continue rising gradually due to rising production costs.
Last week some producers in northern Europe confirm they temporarily halted sales in order to assess the impact of recent rises in energy and raw material costs before issuing new price lists (see Kallanish passim).
