Prices for European domestic steel heavy plate in Italy remained stable in the week to Thursday May 21, with indications of weak demand in the market, while prices in Germany increased slightly week on week, market participants told Fastmarkets.
Italy
Tradeable levels for base-grade steel plate in Italy were heard at €740-775 per tonne ex-works, unchanged week on week.
Sources linked the lower end of the range at €740-755 per tonne ex-works to larger volumes, and the higher end at €755-775 per tonne ex-works to smaller volume-orders, all for end-June delivery.
One trader said that restocking for July deliveries was “still absent”, while several sources quoted weak demand in the market.
“Sales/processing in Europe stays on a low level and on top, May has a lot of bank holidays, so output is less during this month,” a second trader told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe, was €740-775 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged week on week.
Germany
Tradeable prices for steel plate in Germany were reported in a wider range of €800-850 per tonne ex-works, increasing from deals heard a week earlier at €800-830 per tonne ex-works.
One offer was reported within the same range as deals, at €810-825 per tonne ex-works.
One producer source in Italy reported lower tradeable levels for German plate at €800-810 per tonne ex-works, saying they were “confirmed by re-rollers” and should not be higher. However, a trader in Germany said deal prices were above €820 per tonne ex-works.
Prices for plate in the country differ by suppliers, accounting for the wider range of deals, sources said.
“They [suppliers] are completely different and have different production lines with different product portfolios, therefore the price is not so easy to set and the price range is quite big,” the Germany-based trader said.
A second source in Germany said the difference was due to “different segments: war zone grades and sizes, which all mills can offer, and grade/size combination only available at a few mills”.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate 8-40mm, exw Northern Europe, was €800-850 per tonne on Thursday, widening upward by €5 per tonne from €800-845 per tonne a week earlier.
