Italian plate prices are falling by some €50/tonne ($52) compared to last month due to slower demand. Compared to all other products, however, plate demand remains relatively resilient and producers will report good results this year, Kallanish learns from market participants.
Some sectors, such as renewable energy and infrastructure, continue to drive demand for large projects but distributors are reporting slow sales, with customers adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
Italian sellers are quoting December lead times. Contract prices are at €850-870/t ex-works for the basic S275 grade and about €900-930/t ex-works for the higher 355 grade, which remains in short supply.
Meanwhile, Russian slab prices fell from $485-500/t fob towards the end October to around $440-450/t fob Black/Baltic Seas last week, but demand was simply not there, even at these prices (see Kallanish passim).
In Italy, slab is being bought at $480-500/t cfr, sources say.
Natalia Capra France
