The increase in EU steel import costs in 2026 may lead to a change in the commercial terms of contracts, which will affect additional costs in pricing. In addition to the new trade regime, which is expected from mid-2026, this will cover some of the risks associated with the Carbon Boundary Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) charges, which cannot currently be precisely determined.
"At the moment, everyone is struggling with the confusion; I'm worried because the first of January is, in fact, just around the corner," says one trader. Exporting companies are aware of this prevailing opinion among their European customers and have begun to take into account the CBAM accounting fee, which, in his opinion, and according to other observers, is about 70 euros per ton ($82).
This leads to the fact that his offer price from Asian plants to European customers is 580 euros per ton ($681) per day for a hot-rolled roll with delivery in April, he tells Kallanish. According to the Dutch service center, traders also offer HRC from Turkey at a price of 580-600 euros per ton per day, including CBAM fees.
"If they[exporter mills]want to keep the interest from the Europeans, they need to offer ddp," says the trader. The opinions of the players differ as to whether ddp, or shipping with payment of duty, means delivery to the final destination or port after customs clearance.
In the latter case, it is more likely that buyers in Belgium and the Netherlands, located near the ports of embarkation, may find imports still attractive. "We have access to the channels, so transportation will only cost us an additional 10 euros," says one Dutch customer.
The difference between the supplied 590 euros per tonne and the base price in the domestic market, which is about 620 euros per tonne at the plant, may be more important when choosing the higher grade S355 rather than the standard grade S235. The latter grade is mainly sold at the base price or with a minimum margin of 5 euros per ton, the buyer explains. In contrast, domestic factories can charge 30 euros/ton more for S355, while in the case of import prices, the difference between grades is practically ignored.
Author: Christian Kel Germany
Kallanish.com
