ArcelorMittal to invest EUR1.3bn in single Dunkirk EAF
ArcelorMittal will invest EUR1.3bn in installing replacement electric-arc steelmaking capacities at its Dunkirk plant, scheduled for first operations in 2029, the company announced 10 February.
According to the steelmaker, the new 2 mt electric-arc furnace (EAF) will be capable of producing steel with “three times less CO2 than a blast furnace,” at 0.6t CO2e/t, and will operate on a mixture of scrap, direct-reduced iron/hot-briquetted iron (DRI/HBI), and pig iron. Half of the EUR1.3bn investment will be financed publicly with Energy Efficiency Certificates.
France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, was present for the announcement at the French site, accompanied by company leadership.
“I am delighted we are now able to launch this €1.3 billion investment in Dunkirk, which underscores our Group’s long-term commitment in France,” said CEO Aditya Mittal in a press statement. “I must thank President Macron and the French government who – very early on – understood the challenges the European steel industry was facing.”
Mittal’s comments reference steelmakers’ long-cited issues with the competitiveness of the European steel sector against global pressures, which the European Commission is attempting to remedy with new industrial support policies, and regulatory simplification. Policies initially proposed by the Commission in last year’s Steel and Metals Action Plan – such as new long-term steel trade protections, the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) – are intended to better support the ‘investment case’ for industrial decarbonisation, which for European steelmaking, is largely characterized by the transition from blast-furnace to basic-oxygen furnace (BF-BOF), to EAF steelmaking fed by scrap and direct-reduced iron (DRI).
In its press release, ArcelorMittal states that it “appreciates the progress made by the European Commission to better protect the European steel industry,” and “expects [proposed measures] to restore fair and competitive conditions in the European steel market, thus securing a sustainable future for steel production within the European Union.”
ArcelorMittal has suspended the majority of its European decarbonisation projects, citing aforementioned burdens on competitiveness, as illustrated in McCloskey’s recent Global Green Steel Profile. Postponement to the renovations at Dunkirk specifically related to the high cost of gas and hydrogen in Europe, as stated by company leadership in the French Parliament last year.
The steelmaker’s latest announcement on its decarbonisation plan appears reduced from its initial scope, confirming the construction of only a single EAF, as opposed to previous commitments to construct two EAFs, and a 2.5 mt/y DRI plant. The two EAFs were originally scheduled for initial operations in 2027.
Secondary steelmaking sources have suggested that this indicates ArcelorMittal is abandoning its DRI investment plans and will instead import DRI/HBI to facilitate decoupled steelmaking.
McCloskey’s recent coverage of the leaked draft of the EU’s upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) indicates that the European Commission is planning to introduce a ‘sliding scale’ into its new green steel definition, represented by a voluntary low-carbon label that gives a better ‘green classification’ the lower the share of constituent scrap. This could give DRI-EAF steel an advantage over the EU’s existing scrap-EAF production in achieving equivalent, or even improved classifications, despite the lower emissions profile of high-percentage scrap-fed steels.
The EU’s independent EAF steelmakers have largely opposed the inclusion of the sliding scale, fearing that it will give integrated steelmakers undue access to secondary steelmakers’ core construction sector demand as low-carbon markets become increasingly (and at times inconsistently) regulated by instruments such as the IAA.
Despite the fact that the thrust of the European Commission’s regulatory efforts in the steel sector are to protect the ‘investment case’ for decarbonisation without undermining industrial resilience, some market sources have argued that the current trajectory of steel policy across CBAM, the new permanent steel quotas, and green steel standardisation are instead facilitating the gradual decoupling of iron and steelmaking on the continent.
These sources allege that integrated steelmakers are lobbying for ‘sliding scale’ based green standards of universal scope in order to consolidate their access to future domestic low-carbon demand, supporting a limited transition to decoupled EAF steelmaking, while simultaneously closing the market to downstream imports but retaining access to low-cost DRI/HBI from abroad. If true, this would threaten to off-shore primary steel production, undermining the Commission’s push for industrial resilience, and potentially stimulating domestic steel price inflation beyond what consuming industries can tolerate.
The French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT) – France’s largest trade union by membership – boycotted Macron’s visit to the Dunkirk site on similar factors, describing the announcement as “political staging.”
“This announcement is a smoke screen and will not suffice; we are very far from the initial plan […] while ArcelorMittal has obtained everything it wanted!” stated the union in an associated press release. “Behind the hollow words and the promises, there are thousands of jobs threatened and eliminated, weakened industrial basins, and shattered lives.”
ArcelorMittal released its full-year 2025 results this week, reporting $3.2bn net income, and foreseeing an improved outlook for European steel prices and demand in 2026.
ArcelorMittal has confirmed a EUR 1.3 billion electric arc furnace investment in Dunkirk
ArcelorMittal forecasts rebounding demand, eyes higher sales globally
Global apparent steel demand excluding China will rebound 2% on-year in 2026, while production and shipments are set to increase across all regions this year, supported by operational improvements and trade measures, ArcelorMittal says.
The group plans to capture medium-to-long-term steel demand driven by investments in the energy transition, new infrastructure and mobility systems, defence security and data centre capacity, Kallanish notes.
ArcelorMittal’s fourth-quarter-2025 consolidated steel shipments fell 4% on-year to 13 million tonnes, while production fell 9% to 12.8mt.
Sales however rose 2% to $14.97 billion and net income adjusted for exceptional items and one-off tax charges rose 62% to $654 million.
Over the past 12 months, the global economy has shifted towards “greater domestic supply resilience” amid widespread tariffs, says ArcelorMittal chief executive Aditya Mittal. “This led to an increasing number of countries finally taking steps to address the competitiveness of their manufacturing industries,” he adds.
“Nowhere was this more necessary than in Europe”, he continues. The proposed new trade regime and CBAM modifications have been critical to levelling the playing field on carbon costs.
“Combined, this will enable European producers to recover to sustainable utilisation levels, and generate healthy returns on capital. And while the full benefits of the changes in the regulatory environment will emerge over time – more visibly in the second half and into 2027 – we are very well positioned to benefit from this direction,” Mittal notes.
The new trade regime is projected to reduce EU steel imports by 10m t/year, according to ArcelorMittal. Existing furnaces can operate at higher utilisation rates, while idled units can be brought back online as demand recovers, the group notes. New capacity is also expected to come online in 2026 with the start-up of the 1m t/y Gijon EAF for long products and the expansion of the Sestao EAF to increase flat steel output.
In full-year 2025 ArcelorMittal shipments fell 1% on-year to 54mt, while crude steel production dropped 4% to 55.6mt. Sales fell 2% to $61.4 billion but adjusted net income rose 26% to $2.94 billion. The latter is attributed to lower foreign exchange and other net financing charges, and reduced tax expense, partially offset by lower Ebitda and higher interest costs.
ArcelorMittal: margins resilient but under pressure
Despite a decline in Ebitda in 2025, ArcelorMittal posted a sharp rise in net profit and defended the solidity of its model, driven by its strategic investments and the expected improvement in the European regulatory framework. However, an analysis of the published figures reveals cash generation constrained by high capex and rising debt, while the group is carrying out a wide-ranging review of its workforce, a third of which is in Luxembourg.
ArcelorMittal closed 2025 with sales of $61.35 billion, down 1.7% on the $62.44bn recorded in 2024 . The Group attributes this decline mainly to a 2.3% drop in average steel selling prices. In a context described as difficult, marked in particular by depressed international prices and tariff effects in North America, Ebitda came to 6.541bn, down 7.3% on the 7.05bn recorded in 2024.
The key indicator highlighted by the group is Ebitda per tonne, which reached $121 in 2025. According to the official communication, this level is “more than double” previous cycle lows. The published documents do not detail here the exact numerical reference to previous cycles; the comparison is therefore a qualitative assessment by management of the structural evolution of margins.
Net income, group share comes out at $3.15bn, compared with 1.34bn in 2024, with earnings per share of 4.13 dollars. On an adjusted basis, net profit came to $2.94bn, or 3.85 dollars per share. The increase in net profit, despite a fall in Ebitda, was mainly due to an improvement in financial and tax items. The press release states that the increase in adjusted net profit reflects in particular lower foreign exchange and other financial expenses, as well as a reduction in the tax charge, partially offset by lower Ebitda and higher interest costs.
Limited cash flow
Analysis by segment shows contrasting dynamics. In North America, annual Ebitda fell to $1.237bn, compared with 1.819bn a year earlier. The Group cites the impact of Section 232 tariffs and maintenance operations in Mexico. In Europe, on the other hand, Ebitda rose to 2.028 billion dollars, compared with 1.624bn in 2024, a trend attributed to a more favourable price-cost effect and operational improvements. In Brazil, Ebitda fell to $1.440bn from $1.803bn, against a backdrop of lower prices. The Mining segment recorded an improvement, with Ebitda of $1.105 billion compared with $1.033bn, driven by higher volumes and shipments, particularly in Liberia. Lastly, the Sustainable Solutions segment saw its Ebitda rise to $422m from $314m in 2024, benefiting from the ramp-up of renewables in India.
In terms of cash generation, ArcelorMittal says it will have generated $4.8bn in operating cash flow by 2025, including a working capital release of $0.5bn. Capital expenditure amounted to $4.3bn, including 1.1bn devoted to strategic projects. Free cash flow came to 0.4 billion dollars. The company highlighted an investable cash flow of $1.9bn over the 12 months, defined as operating cash flow less maintenance capex. This metric, which is specific to the group, differs from strict free cash flow and emphasises that available self-financing capacity after total investments remains limited in 2025.
Net debt reached $7.9bn at 31 December, compared with 5.1bn a year earlier. The Group explains this increase by growth investments and consolidation operations, in particular that of Calvert. Total liquidity was announced at $11.0bn at the end of the financial year. Moody’s and S&P have upgraded the Group’s 2025 credit rating to Baa2 and BBB respectively, with a stable outlook.
Dividend raised slightly
In terms of shareholder return policy, ArcelorMittal says it has returned $0.7bn in 2025. The board of directors will propose to the general meeting an increase in the basic annual dividend to 0.60 dollars per share, compared with $0.55 previously, with a quarterly payment. The company also claims to have reduced the number of diluted shares by 38% since September 2020.
The strategic narrative places a strong emphasis on Europe. The Group believes that the combination of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), fully implemented from 1 January 2026, and the new Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) tool should reduce imports by around 10 million tonnes and support domestic capacity utilisation. The European Parliament vote on the TRQ is expected in February 2026, for implementation by 1 July 2026 at the latest. The actual impact on margins will, however, depend on the regulatory timetable and market reactions; these future effects are at this stage a matter of expectations formulated by the company.
ArcelorMittal finally indicates that strategic projects already underway have contributed $0.7bn of Ebitda in 2025 and that investments underway could increase the potential for additional Ebitda to $1.6bn from 2026 and beyond. This estimate is based, according to the published documents, on assumptions of ramp-up and normalised market conditions.
All in all, the 2025 accounts reflect a company that is maintaining significant operating profitability in an unfavourable cyclical environment, but at the cost of a high level of investment and an increase in net debt. The improvement in net profit is due more to financial and tax factors than to an expansion of the operational core. The 2026 trajectory will largely depend on the materialisation of regulatory effects in Europe, the ramp-up of industrial projects and trends in steel and iron ore prices.
ArcelorMittal reviews 5.600 EU roles, Luxembourg impact unknown
ArcelorMittal Europe has opened a new review of support functions that a European works council member said could cover 5.600 roles, about 11% of the company’s 48.500-strong European workforce, with Luxembourg exposure still undisclosed.
The European arm of Luxembourg-headquartered ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s largest steel and mining groups, has launched a fresh phase of internal assessment into an efficiency drive covering support functions such as information technology, logistics and maintenance, a review that a member of the European works council claimed could place up to 5.600 roles across 20 European countries within scope.
The council member added the initiative was discussed during an extraordinary meeting held remotely last week and described it as a new phase of analysis into reshaping support functions across the group’s European entities, including potential relocations alongside other restructuring options.
On the basis of ArcelorMittal’s European headcount of 48.500 at the end of 2024, the perimeter under review would equate to about 11% of its European workforce.
Contacted by Paperjam, a representative of ArcelorMittal confirmed the review but did not confirm any numbers. The representative said ArcelorMittal Europe was looking into the possibility of expanding the scope of its project to transform support functions “with the goal of ensuring optimisation and standardisation of activities which are currently fragmented across a large number of sites in Europe”. The representative declined to comment on whether roles in Luxembourg were part of the assessment.
The steelmaker disclosed that the work included the creation of a “business services hub in India” and the expansion of its “business centre of excellence in Poland”. It said the objective was to support a sustainable business model for ArcelorMittal Europe by aligning the company’s performance with other major companies and using global talent, modern processes and advanced IT and AI to deliver “reliable, high-quality service”.
The review comes as European steelmakers face weaker demand in core end-markets such as automotive and construction, alongside intensifying pressure from imports, particularly from Asia and China, where production is sold at significantly lower prices.
According to national statistics bureau Statec, ArcelorMittal had 3.520 employees in Luxembourg on 1 January 2025, making it likely that at least some Luxembourg-based roles could ultimately be affected through relocation or being removed altogether, even if the company has not confirmed any local exposure.
A further meeting is scheduled for 26 February at ArcelorMittal’s Luxembourg headquarters. The company representative told Paperjam that more details would be shared at the appropriate stage but did not provide a timeframe.
ArcelorMittal denied all allegations in the case related to its Ilva plants in Italy
ArcelorMittal has confirmed that it has been summoned by the Milan Court in connection with a lawsuit involving Acciaierie d’Italia SpA (ADI), which operates under Ilva SpA currently under Extraordinary Administration.
ArcelorMittal has stated that the allegations brought forward by the Extraordinary Commissioners of ADI have no legal or factual basis, stressing that the company will firmly defend its position before all competent authorities.
In its statement, ArcelorMittal categorically rejected the claims made in the lawsuit, which allege that the company misled ADI’s management and local authorities, caused the collapse of the plants, deliberately sought to “destroy” the company’s operations, and “looted” profits from Italy.
Within the scope of the lawsuit, ArcelorMittal is accused of having caused damages of approximately EUR 7 billion to ADI. The company stated that these allegations are entirely unfounded.
The company recalled that Acciaierie d’Italia Holding (ADIH), the parent company of ADI, has been operating under a joint and equal management structure with Invitalia, the investment arm of Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, since 2021.
It was noted that Invitalia was appointed under a public–private partnership framework to relaunch the Ilva facilities, with the ultimate objective of transferring full ownership of ADI to the public sector.
ArcelorMittal emphasized its strong track record in turning around underperforming assets and stated that it has invested approximately EUR 2 billion in its Italian operations.
A significant portion of this investment, the company said, was allocated to the implementation of an extensive environmental plan required under Italy’s Integrated Environmental Authorization. ArcelorMittal stressed that substantial resources were devoted to meeting environmental obligations.
The company also rejected any claims of improper influence over local authorities, stating that all obligations were fulfilled in full compliance with the law.
ArcelorMittal noted that the situation deteriorated after the Italian government revoked criminal liability protection in 2019 for the implementation of the environmental plan.
According to the company, this decision exposed it to criminal risks and undermined the fundamental conditions of the acquisition. As a result, ArcelorMittal initiated its withdrawal from the lease agreement, which was later followed by the establishment of the joint management structure with Invitalia.
In its statement, ArcelorMittal said that hostile behavior, deliberate actions and negligence by Invitalia and Ilva, combined with inadequate and unlawful interventions by the Italian authorities, severely undermined the operating environment.
Despite presenting several restructuring proposals, the company claimed that Invitalia failed to meet its commitments throughout the process.
ArcelorMittal further noted that temporary legislative measures adopted in February 2024 enabled ADI to be placed under extraordinary administration, a move the company described as a de facto expropriation of its investments.
The company stated that these measures negatively affected production capacity, cash flow, and planned investments.
ArcelorMittal announced that it has initiated multiple legal proceedings in response to the damage suffered. In June 2025, the company filed an international arbitration case against the Republic of Italy.
The claim alleges unlawful expropriation, discriminatory and disproportionate treatment, and violations of the company’s legitimate expectations.
ArcelorMittal stated that its investments have been severely devalued as a result of these actions, that its European interests have been harmed, and that its total compensation claim exceeds EUR 1.8 billion.
CBAM spurs coil rises but buyers retreat
Participants are warning the European market may not be ready to accept a large rise in coil prices following the recent announcement of increases by ArcelorMittal, Kallanish learns.
While the hike has likely been encouraged by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) coming into effect since the start of the year, the preceding months saw a slow and gradual increase gaining ground.
“But attempts by steel mills to raise prices more quickly are likely to meet resistance from processors who are not yet able to pass on these costs,” a Dutch manager believes.
He sees recent import offers from Turkey and the Middle East for hot rolled coil at up to €540/tonne ($633) cfr Antwerp. When adding CBAM costs, depending on the case, there would be barely any import arbitrage, with domestic HRC trading at €630-650/t ex-works until last week, he says. ArcelorMittal’s new offers take HRC to €700/t.
The hikes appear bolder for cold rolled coil and hot-dip galvanized coil, with offers now standing for CRC at €830/t and for galvanized material at €820/t. The previous highest quotes were reported in the Netherlands at €750 for CRC and €760 for HDG.
Notably, CRC offer prices have now eclipsed that of HDG. A German observer tells Kallanish that domestic mills have had less interest recently in producing CRC, preferring HRC and HDG, resulting in CRC becoming scarcer on the market.
The Dutch manager also points at EU measures, such as the ongoing anti-dumping investigation into CRC, where higher duties are expected soon. For mills this justifies an extra premium for cold-rolled material, he notes.
One German buyer finds that ArcelorMittal “takes it too far” and that the new prices for CRC and HDG, in particular, “do not fit the market at all; maybe for some special high-grade material”.
He is concerned the new quotes will scare buyers, who will then become even more reserved. “Many will hold back their orders, and a standstill is always bad for the market,” he adds.
Tariffs and energy: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg urges the EU to act
At its New Year’s ceremony on Wednesday 21 January in Differdange, ArcelorMittal Luxembourg drew a harsh assessment of the steel situation in Europe. Faced with global overcapacity, pressure from imports and energy costs, the group is calling for rapid European measures to preserve a competitive, low-carbon steel industry. And it is delighted with its new dust capture installation.
Meeting in Differdange for the 2026 New Year’s ceremony, the directors of ArcelorMittal Luxembourg delivered a detailed analysis of the situation in the steel market and the challenges facing the European steel industry. Valérie Massin, country manager, and Pierre Jacobs, CEO of long products Luxembourg, described a strategic sector weakened by global imbalances, while reaffirming the group’s industrial commitment to the Grand Duchy.
Pierre Jacobs recalled the central role of steel in the modern economy, present in infrastructure, construction, automobiles and now electric vehicles, as well as in the circular economy thanks to its recyclability. However, this indispensability contrasts with the evolution of the global market. In 2024, global steel production reached around 1.8 billion tonnes, almost three-quarters of which was produced in Asia, mainly in China, but also in India, South Korea and Japan. The European Union’s (EU) share now stands at only around 130 million tonnes, or less than 10% of global production, and is down by around 25% on levels before the health crisis.
This contraction is accompanied by a reversal in trade flows. Whereas the EU was still a small net exporter of steel in 2015 and 2016, since 2017 it has become a net importer, with imports sustainably exceeding exports. This development is having a direct impact on European industrial capacity utilisation. After a sharp fall during the 2009 financial crisis and then in 2020 with the health crisis, the production capacity utilisation rate today remains at low levels, often below 70%, reflecting both the scale of imports and an economic climate deemed gloomy in Europe.
Target of zero fatal accidents
There are also social issues at stake. The European steel industry represents around 300,000 direct jobs, over a million indirect jobs and several hundred thousand induced jobs. In terms of added value, the steel ecosystem contributes several hundred billion euros to the EU economy.
At the level of the ArcelorMittal group, Pierre Jacobs recalled the strategic priorities, starting with the health and safety of employees. Since the group was created in 2006, the lost-time accident frequency rate has fallen from around 3 in 2007 to 0.68 in 2025, at a time when the company has set itself the target of zero fatal accidents from 2027. The CEO acknowledged the highly ambitious nature of this objective, pointing out that fatal accidents have still been recorded in recent years, including in Luxembourg.
Installation reliability is another key focus, both for cost control and for meeting the delivery times promised to customers. Any unforeseen breakdown is likely to disrupt the production chain and the service provided. Added to this is the Group’s strategic growth, both organically and through acquisitions, illustrated in particular by expansion projects in India, Brazil and the United States.
The climate issue also plays a central role. As a heavy industry by nature, the steel industry is highly exposed to the challenges of decarbonisation. Pierre Jacobs pointed out that Luxembourg was ahead of the game in the 1990s when it replaced blast furnaces with electric furnaces, which emit at least four times less CO2. This transformation is a model that the group intends to extend to other European and global sites.
If the EU waits until June, the 50% surcharge will come too late
Economic indicators confirm the current tensions. The PMI index, a barometer of industrial activity, has been fluctuating below the 50 threshold since 2023, signalling a lack of real growth, including in Luxembourg. In terms of prices, the hot-rolled coil benchmark shows that European prices are still lower than those in the United States, while Chinese export prices are much lower. China, which accounts for around 50% of the world’s steel production, thus has a major competitive advantage, fuelling pressure on the European market.
Valérie Massin extended the analysis by highlighting the structural deterioration of the market. Global overcapacity is estimated at almost 600 million tonnes, while European demand is contracting and cost differentials between European and non-European producers persist, notably due to energy prices. Faced with this situation, the European Commission presented an action plan on steel and metals in 2025, aimed at strengthening trade defence instruments, limiting imports and implementing the carbon adjustment mechanism at borders.
As far as imports are concerned, a ceiling of around 18 million tonnes of steel that can enter the European market freely is envisaged, above which a surcharge of up to 50% would apply. For ArcelorMittal, the challenge now is to implement these measures quickly. Delayed deployment, particularly after the first half of the year, could significantly reduce their effectiveness for 2026. All the more so as imports have been increased in anticipation by “stockists” who will not only have acquired stocks at lower cost, but who will no longer want Luxembourg products as a result.
A strategy to circumvent the balancing mechanism
The border carbon balancing mechanism, which comes into force on 1 January 2026, is a long-awaited step forward for European producers. However, Valérie Massin pointed to persistent loopholes, in particular practices that allow certain producers to direct lower-emission production towards Europe, while selling higher-carbon volumes elsewhere. In her view, these situations undermine the objective of a level playing field between producers subject to the EU ETS (Emissions trading system) and their international competitors.
Energy costs remain another determining factor. Since the war in Ukraine, gas and electricity prices in Europe have remained well above those in the United States or China, even though energy is a major input in steel production. While the European plan sets out guidelines, the group is still waiting for concrete measures for the wholesale market and for industries that consume a lot of energy.
In Luxembourg, ArcelorMittal employs around 3,510 people across several industrial and administrative sites. The country is ahead of the game in terms of decarbonisation, with 98% of its production based on electric furnaces using mainly recycled scrap metal. The group also highlights emblematic achievements, such as the supply of exceptional parts for the Henry Ford Hospital site in Detroit or the development of XCarb steel, showing around 300 kilos of CO2 per tonne produced thanks to the use of green electricity.
At the same time, ArcelorMittal is continuing to invest in Luxembourg, notably with the construction of its future world headquarters on the Kirchberg plateau, scheduled for completion in the first half of 2027. The building, 14,000 tonnes of steel, will embody the group’s expertise in low-carbon steel and sustainable construction.
ArcelorMittal increases coil offers in Europe
ArcelorMittal increased its offer prices for steel coil in Europe on 20 January, according to trading sources.
The new target prices across Europe for April shipment hot-rolled coil (HRC) are EUR700/t delivered, for cold-rolled coil (CRC) – EUR830/t delivered and for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) – EUR820/t delivered. These are around EUR30-40/t higher than the previous official rise announced in the middle of December 2025.
European coil prices have started to recover from the middle of January supported by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which came into force this year, seasonal demand recovery and an anticipated reduction in import quotas in the second half of 2026.
McCloskey’s weekly assessment for domestic HRC prices in Northwest Europe was EUR635/t ex-works on 16 January, up EUR15/t on the week.
The introduction of CBAM has made imports riskier as buyers face substantial duties based on default values unless the exporters can verify their actual emissions. This has made buyers either turn to European mills or to book from big trading companies on a DDP basis, making prices higher.
Most market participants anticipate that prices will continue to rise as the market share of European mills will expand due to the impact of CBAM and trade measures.
The CRC segment is expected to be particularly impacted by the new regulations, as European buyers have been mainly relying on imports for supply of commodity grade material. European mills have preferred to trade either HRC and HDG due to higher costs and lower prices for CRC.
ArcelorMittal’s new CRC offer price is slightly higher than that for HDG, reflecting a shift in the market. Traditionally HDG has traded at a premium to CRC.
The anticipated decision in the EU’s anti-dumping probe started in September against CRC imports from Japan, Turkey, Vietnam and Taiwan, China is expected to support the change in the market.
ArcelorMittal Hunedoara approves sale of all assets to UMB Steel for €12.5 million
Romanian steel producer ArcelorMittal Hunedoara has announced that its board of directors has approved the sale of all company assets to Romania-based UMB Steel for €12.5 million plus value added tax.
The board cited the lack of realistic prospects for a turnaround based on available data, the urgent need to curb ongoing losses linked to maintaining idle assets, and the necessity of generating liquidity to meet outstanding liabilities as decisive factors behind the approval.
The transaction covers the transfer of all tangible assets owned by ArcelorMittal Hunedoara at the time of sale. These include production machinery and industrial installations such as the electric arc furnace, rolling mill, locomotives, scrap processing and baling equipment, vacuum degassing and ladle furnace units, steel structures, cranes and auxiliary systems, motors, bearings, spare parts, tools, laboratory and weighing equipment.
Materials and inventories are also included, covering externally sourced and internally generated scrap, ferroalloys, refractory materials, electrodes and rolling rolls. In addition, all land and buildings located on the industrial site, including the slag heap and related appurtenances, form part of the sale, alongside all land parcels owned by the company outside the industrial site.
Completion of the transaction is subject to the fulfillment of several cumulative conditions, which must be met by June 1, 2026.
As SteelOrbis reported previously, ArcelorMittal Hunedoara permanently ceased production in September 2025 amid extremely challenging market conditions. These were driven primarily by persistently high electricity costs and intensifying competition from low-priced steel imports originating outside the EU. The plant specialized in the production of profiles and angles for the energy, construction and infrastructure sectors.
