Despite the negative factors that have persisted for weeks and are depressing the outlook for the flat steel markets, many local traders and Romania's sole producer continue to keep their flat steel prices stable. Seasonally low demand and the approaching August holiday period cause restocking to be postponed and lead to sluggish end-user activity.
Currently, the sole domestic producer’s local hot rolled coil (HRC) and cold rolled coil (CRC) prices are stable week on week at €615-620/mt ex-works and €715-720/mt ex-works, respectively.
Similarly, in the spot market, traders’ prices for hot rolled sheets (HRS) and cold rolled sheets (CRS) are stable from last week at €740-750/mt ex-warehouse and €860-880/mt ex-warehouse, respectively.
In the coated steel segment, the local producer’s domestic offers for HDG and PPGI have remained stable week on week at €785-790/mt ex-works and €1,065-1,070/mt ex-works, respectively.
In the meanwhile, there have been no new reports regarding deals or offers in the import segment. Turkish mills are still providing HRC at FOB prices of $570-585/mt, with freight costs of around €25/mt, arriving in Romania at around €545-565/mt CFR. However, importers should be aware that this pricing is duty-free, and, depending on the source, Turkish materials are subject to antidumping duties in the EU.