Some Italian rebar producers are halting sales and are expected to come back to quoting increased prices by some €20-40/tonne ($23.3-46.6/t) compared to their pre-holiday levels, according to sources.
The new asking level is said to be €460-480/t base ex-works. Before the August break, producers announced increases to €440/t base ex-works, Kallanish notes.
The current pause in sales mirrors ArcelorMittal’s recent price increase for rebar and other long products by €25/t in September, driven by rising energy and freight costs. A mill source says that high costs are forcing producers to push up prices to recover margins. Demand has been fluctuating in recent months, with the first two weeks of each month quiet as customers hold back, before orders pick up in the final two weeks.
The market has remained quiet post-holiday, with buyers adopting a wait-and-see approach with some contracts implemented but not for high volumes.
The few rebar contracts implemented in the past week remain stable compared to the pre-holiday levels. They were concluded at €410-420/t base ex-works. Including size extras of €260-270/t, effective transaction prices are assessed at €670-690/t ex-works, sources suggest. Mesh prices were reported at €500-530/t delivered, excluding €300/t for size extras.
