Some rebar suppliers in Germany and Austria report clear shortages and longer delivery times for wire mesh. However, the problem may be temporary.
Several buyers in Germany, who first heard about it in Austria, agree that the lead time is more than four weeks, compared with less than a week in 2025. Sources assure that orders are not being rejected, but they will take longer to complete, and that, consequently, prices are rising faster than for fittings.
The base price for wire mesh is usually 100 euros per ton ($117) higher than for straight rebar, but currently the price for it is 110-120 euros higher, and transactions are concluded at the level of 560-570 euros. Callanish has heard from market players. With an additional 210 euros, it will cost 770-780 euros.
.One of the observers of a large distributor company, attributor, believes that the production of wire mesh stopped during the winter months, "when it was quite cold so that construction continued as usual," and has not yet recovered.
The manager of another major distributor agrees with this, he says that deliveries that have been delayed due to the winter months have not been able to fulfill new orders lately. He believes that production activity has now decreased by as much as 30%.
However, the manufacturer's manager cannot confirm such assumptions. He says that production is operating normally and that the volume of orders has not increased significantly.
However, this situation may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, especially due to the shortage and high prices of raw materials such as wire mesh. Consequently, manufacturers who depend on the purchase of wire rod from third parties for the production of wire mesh will be more likely to be affected by their activities.
Meanwhile, another reason is the shortage of open trucks needed to transport wire mesh. Due to the general increase in diesel fuel prices, the load capacity of trucks has become insufficient and expensive. In addition, many transport companies in Western Europe are based in Poland, where operators and drivers have taken a long break during the Easter holidays.
Author: Christian Kel
Kallanish.com
