Italian plate prices are increasing in contracts following the hike attempts by local producers in January, Kallanish learns from market participants.
Plate re-rollers are now quoting and obtaining €900/tonne ($979) for the basic S275 grade and €950/t for the higher 355 grade. This is up from January levels of €850/t ex-works.
Sellers are reporting good order intake thanks to the resurfacing of apparent demand from the second half of December. January was good in terms of sales volumes thanks also to distributors’ restocking. Italian producers are quoting end-March lead times.
Domestic contracts have increased this month to €870-900/t ex-works for S275. Because of the increasing prices of slab and energy costs, plate values are expected to continue to surge to the level of €1,000/t ex-works in February.
Asian-origin slab is now offered at $750/t cfr Italy.
Natalia Capra France
