Romanian rebar prices are rising under CBAM pressure, wire rod is stable as demand is still low
The Romanian rebar segment saw an increase in prices this week, as both the sole domestic manufacturer and spot rebar dealers increased their offers compared to last week.
The adjustments were largely influenced by expectations related to CBAM and price increases from other EU suppliers. However, the wire rod segment did not follow this trend, and prices remained unchanged due to continued weak demand. Market participants report that overall demand remains limited, especially in the wire rod segment, where activity is estimated to be very low. The situation in the rebar market is slightly better, and there is a slight increase after the recent increase in demand. Nevertheless, sources point to growing uncertainty: with the end of the year approaching and the already noticeable slowdown in business activity related to the holidays, a further decline in business activity is expected. Given these conditions, combined with ongoing liquidity constraints, many sellers doubt that the current attempts at price increases can be sustained, as buyers remain cautious and highly price-sensitive.
As a result, prices for rebar in the domestic market have increased, and the only manufacturer in the country has increased the supply to 560-565 euros per ton from the factory, compared with 550-555 euros per ton previously. In the retail segment, traders also increased their prices to 570-590 euros per ton from the warehouse, compared with 550-565 euros per ton from the warehouse last week.
.In contrast, the wire rod market remains calm, and weak demand limits any price movement. Traders report that the supply is still 560-570 euros per ton from the warehouse, unchanged from the previous week.
Regarding imports, trade activity remains limited as the end of the year approaches, with many Romanian buyers awaiting the arrival of January shipments instead of placing new orders. EU supplier offers continue to reflect CBAM-related adjustments, and Bulgarian factories have increased rebar prices to 600-610 euros per tonne compared to 585-605 euros per tonne compared to last week. Moldovan suppliers, meanwhile, have suspended new offers due to internal problems and are currently absent from the market.
Egyptian plants outside the EU have maintained their performance at the same level, offering rebar at a price of 485-490 euros per ton, and wire rod at 490-495 euros per ton. Turkish suppliers, on the contrary, slightly lowered the lower limit of their product range, offering 495-515 euros per ton in January, compared with 500-515 euros per ton last week, based on the exchange rate of 1 euro = 1.17 US dollars and