Italy
Italian steel plate market remained seasonally quiet, with trading close to nil.
“The Italian market is absolutely dead, stockholders as well as end users buy only minimal tonnages for months now. All key market participants are still on vacation. Market restart can only be expected in September,” a trading source in Europe said.
Local producers were expected to return during the week starting August 28 with new offers for October-delivery plate.
The price ideas from most re-rollers in the nation before summer closures was €800 ($870) per tonne EXW, compared with the most recent tradeable values at €750-780 per tonne EXW.
Producers expected demand from long-term projects in the wind industry and construction sector as well as restocking to support an increase.
As a result, Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe remained at €750-780 ($816-849) per tonne on Wednesday, flat week on week.
Overseas heavy plate offers for October shipment from most Asian suppliers, including South Korea and India, were reported at around €690-700 per tonne CFR.
Northern Europe
The market for heavy plate was also seasonally slow in Northern Europe.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Northern Europe was €850-860 per tonne on Wednesday, narrowing downward from €850-870 per tonne seven days ago.
One integrated mill in Germany was reportedly active in the market with October rolling offers, with rare deals reported within the range.
Transactions for Italy-origin plate were reported at around €810-820 per tonne CPT — stable week on week.
A re-roller in Denmark was offering S355-grade plate to Germany at €810 per tonne CPT, sources said. The S275 grade plate from the same supplier was offered to Germany at €780 per tonne CPT, sources said.
In Central Europe, sources said a Czech re-roller and an integrated mill from Poland were both offering limited tonnages of commodity grade plate at around €750 per tonne EXW, which would net back to about €810-820 per tonne CPT to Germany.
Published by: Julia Bolotova
