Italian heavy plate prices remain stable compared to August, with demand still subdued after the summer lull.
While some producers are considering increases to recover margins, the market is seen as too quiet to sustain price hikes, with uncertainty prevailing. September has so far brought a disappointing post-holiday restart across raw materials, flat and long steel markets, with scrap and certain longs registering price declines, Kallanish notes.
Two producer sources report current lead times of around three weeks. One expects some benefit from declining imports under the EU’s safeguard regime, noting that plate imports into Europe previously stood at roughly 2 million tonnes/year. The same source doubts traders or third-country producers will absorb the cost of CBAM.
While the market is far from lively, another producer maintains that 2025 should still be an acceptable year for plate sales. “We will achieve a slightly positive result, and in 2026 EU buyers will purchase more in Europe considering the challenges of importing,” he comments.
From October, sellers expect increased interest from buyers for year-end and early-2026 deliveries. For now, however, demand remains sluggish, with one service centre reporting slow stock depletion.
Transactions are still taking place at €590-600/t ($696-708) ex-works for S275-grade plate, while S355 is trading at around €620/t. On the upstream side, slab imports are reported at $480-500/t cfr Italy, depending on volumes. Producers are currently quoting €620-630/t delivered for S275 and around €650/t for S355.
Natalia Capra France
