Spot prices for flat steel in Romania have remained virtually unchanged over the past week, as local traders continue to maintain supply levels amid a tightening price environment across Europe.
The recent price increases announced by several EU factories were partly due to increasing cost pressures, in particular higher energy prices and expectations of higher transportation costs due to the war in the Middle East. In response to this broader trend, Romanian sellers have shown less willingness to make big concessions, and the level of discounts available on the market has gradually narrowed. Although demand in the local market is not particularly high, market sources note that buyer interest has increased somewhat, as some market participants are becoming more attentive to the possibility of further price increases in the European market.
As a result, the supply of hot rolled sheet (HRS) on the Romanian spot market remained stable last week at 750-780 euros per tonne from the warehouse, unchanged from the previous week, while prices for cold rolled sheet (CRS) also remained stable at 850-890 euros per tonne.tons from the warehouse.
Although the official levels remain stable, the real prices in the market are slightly lower. Discounts decreased compared to previous weeks, with discounts for serious buyers and large orders amounting to about 10-20 euros per ton, compared with 20-30 euros per ton previously. Nevertheless, sellers continue to make such concessions as overall demand remains limited, mainly due to ongoing liquidity problems affecting purchasing activity.
Meanwhile, activity in the import market improved slightly, especially in the HRS segment. According to market sources, several shipments were booked from a Ukrainian supplier during the week at a price of 700-710 euros per ton without VAT. However, these purchases were mostly made by large traders, while many other Romanian buyers remain cautious as liquidity constraints continue to influence purchase decisions and local demand remains uncertain. The Ukrainian combine has kept its official offers unchanged from week to week: the prices for HRS and CRS are 700-710 euros per ton without VAT and 790-800 euros per ton without VAT, respectively. Similarly, Serbian suppliers have maintained their HRS offers at a stable level of 700-710 euros per ton, excluding VAT. On the other hand, Turkish factories increased their supply offers for HRC in April to 515-540 euros per ton, compared with 500-510 euros per ton previously calculated based on the cost of transportation in the amount of 15-20 euros per ton. However, the Turkish
