Transaction prices for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet in Northern Europe edged lower over the past month amid persistently sluggish demand, sources told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets’ monthly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304 transaction domestic, delivered North Europe fell to €2,740-2,800 ($3,186-3,256) per tonne on Monday September 7, down by €10-50 per tonne from €2,750-2,850 per tonne on Friday August 7.
Two distributor sources said that buying activity remained largely subdued.
“We are purchasing at a level between €2,740 and €2,755 per tonne at the moment, and we expect this level to be representative for the region,” a major distributor source told Fastmarkets. “As we are already approaching the end-of-year stock targets for distributors and service centers, we expect no restocking before year-end; on the contrary, we anticipate destocking behavior.”
A producer source said that trading remained quiet, adding that “the market is very weak.”
Meanwhile, European stainless steel mills announced modest increases in their alloy surcharges for September following the sharp declines seen in August.
Fastmarkets’ monthly assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304 alloy surcharge, domestic Europe rose to €2,178-2,235 per tonne from €2,152-2,228 per tonne in August.
However, market participants noted that the small uptick in raw material surcharges failed to lift final transaction prices, as weak consumption continued to dominate price dynamics.
Fastmarkets’ monthly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 316 transaction domestic, delivered North Europe narrowed downward to €4,150-4,300 per tonne, compared with €4,150-4,350 per tonne on August 7.
Logistical issues reported along inland European waterways – notably low water levels on the Rhine – continue to be monitored by market participants, though actual disruptions to finished product deliveries remain limited given the overall low trading volumes.
Meanwhile, appetite for import material from Asia remains constrained. Buyers continue to point to trade defense measures and regulatory uncertainties – particularly safeguard quotas and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) – as key deterrents against placing overseas orders.
