Thick-sheet metal prices in Europe remained stable during the week through Thursday, March 26, Fastmarkets trading sources said on Thursday.
This followed an earlier increase caused by rising production costs for repeat rolls.
Southern Europe
The manufacturer reported local sales of rolled steel in Italy at a price of 760-770 euros (875-886 dollars) per ton from the factory, while most of the offers on the market were presented at a price of 800 euros per ton from the factory. These levels were generally unchanged from the offers of 750-800 euros per tonne from the plant, which were reported a week earlier.
One trader reported a price drop of 720-750 euros per ton from the factory on Monday. However, according to the latest market trends, the rising costs of rolling roll production, including higher natural gas costs and raw material prices for slab production, have led to an increase in prices for finished sheets to about 750-760 euros per ton in most of Europe.
Fastmarkets' weekly price estimate for steel slabs imported in Italy was $550-580 per ton on Thursday, an increase of $20 per ton from $550-560 per ton a week earlier.
On March 19, it became known in Fastmarkets that the production of some commercials may be stopped. When asked about this, the producer said that in the worst-case scenario, long work breaks could occur in July and August, although there is no certainty about this.
In the second quarter of 2026, factories will continue to use slabs purchased at relatively low prices, the manufacturer said, and the recent spike in slab prices is expected to manifest itself in the third quarter of this year. According to the source, the shortage of supplies could also become a problem, especially if the conflict involving Iran continues, as the country is a major exporter of slabs to the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia.
In addition, the upcoming reduction in EU import quotas for steel products may affect trade flows[LINK], according to market sources, this may lead to a potential decrease in imports of finished flat rolled steel from July.
But another trader said that as long as energy remains available, production will continue, noting that most factories purchase energy on annual, quarterly, and floating contracts, reducing the risk of production disruptions.
Fastmarkets' weekly price estimate for domestic 8-40 mm thick rolled steel exported to Southern Europe on Thursday was 750-770 euros per ton, unchanged from the previous week.
No new prices for imported plates in Southern Europe were reported during the week, while market activity remained
