Despite Italian producers pushing up plate prices, their domestic market remains slow compared to other European countries where short supply has raised prices and demand, Italian sellers tell Kallanish.  

Domestic S275 grade plate now starts at €800/tonne ($945) ex-works on average and at €25/t more for the higher 355 grade, after producers pushed prices up for new contracts. However, this value is “only nominal” for the moment, sources say, and large service centres managed to buy domestic material in March at €700-720/t and imported plate at €725/t cfr Italy. Smaller-tonnage deals for S275, however, are reaching €750/t ex-works, sources add.

“We have never sold so well on the export market,” a large service centre owner comments. “Customers buy everything; there is a hunger for plate in both Western and Eastern Europe. The short supply situation however is not happening in Italy where demand tends to be unreliable, which is keeping prices relatively lower compared to countries such as Germany and France.”

He adds that the slow domestic infrastructure market and the many delays in new projects are responsible for plate prices being lower in Italy than the rest of Europe.

Both large and smaller Italian plate distributors agree they have never seen such high margins or better sales as there are now. They forecast prices to increase further this month, with values expected to reach the level of €800/t ex-works for S275 in the coming days, aligning with other European countries.

Meanwhile, CIS slab prices remain elevated. In the last days of March offers were at $730-740/t fob Black Sea (see Kallanish passim).