Rebar prices in Germany have held relatively steady for a while, and buyers see little cause to look for more competitive material abroad.
“Italy is not interesting at all, and in Poland the market is healthy, so why should they send material over here?” a manager in central Germany tells Kallanish. He therefore concludes there is little pressure from outside on mills’ current base asking prices, which they are mostly managing to achieve in deals.
Quotes are at around €400/tonne ($431), plus the size extra of €265 which adds up to €665/t delivered. With base prices in Italy currently at around €350/t, the difference would be eaten up by transport fees.
A northern German buyer confirms the domestic price, noting that the level for orders from countries west and east would be similar, and that Italy is too far south for him anyway. However, he finds that certain offers from overseas could be worth reconsidering. Such is the case with a shipload from Oman reported concluded at $620-630/t cfr Germany, for shipment in March. In euro terms, this would be €575-585/t, possibly involving a margin for the trader in between.
Another observer is more critical, stating that the range of product dimensions given in such offers is limited and that coiled rebar is not included. Moreover, delivery in late April is too risky for him, with prices on the construction market falling further. “On top of that, you now have to worry about the CBAM documents, and that’s where the worry with imports really starts,” he says.
Christian Koehl Germany
