This week, price levels in the Romanian flat steel spot market have remained largely stable compared to the previous week, following the sharp increases observed earlier. While demand conditions have neither weakened nor shown a significant improvement, purchasing activity continues at a relatively slow pace. Market participants report that ongoing cash flow constraints and payment difficulties on the buyer side are limiting trading volumes and preventing stronger demand. Despite the significant price increases seen in the previous week, many sellers have continued to offer discounts in order to stimulate sales. Discounts of around 5-8 percent are still being applied for firm orders, reflecting the gap between price expectations and current purchasing power. As a result, although nominal price levels have remained unchanged, effective transaction prices continue to face pressure.
In this context, hot rolled sheet (HRS) offers in the Romanian spot market are still reported at €780-800/mt ex-warehouse, while cold rolled sheet (CRS) prices remain at €880-900/mt ex-warehouse, unchanged compared to the previous week.
Meanwhile, on the producer side, Liberty Galati, which failed to sell its assets in the latest auction due to the high asking price, has remained under pressure, as recent local media reports indicate that trade unions have agreed to support a potential restart of production, possibly under a tolling arrangement aimed at generating cash flow. However, unions have also warned of ongoing financial issues, particularly unpaid wages, which have severely weakened worker confidence. Employees have reportedly not received salaries for several months, and unions stated that, unless outstanding payments are settled, workers may refuse to return despite the planned restart. While the resumption of production is seen as critical to preventing further deterioration or possible bankruptcy, concerns persist regarding the sustainability of the tolling model and the plant’s overall financial stability.
In the import segment, activity has remained subdued, with Romanian buyers making only minimal purchases amid sufficient inventories and limited demand, while offers have been mostly stable. According to market sources, Ukrainian material has remained stable week on week, with HRS and CRS offers at €710-720/mt CPT and €800-810/mt CPT, respectively. Similarly, Serbian-origin HRS offers are reported at €720-730/mt CPT, while Slovakian material is heard at around €770/mt CPT. Turkish mills, on the other hand, have slightly corrected their HRC offers for April shipment to €535-555/mt CFR, compared to €540-550/mt previously, calculated on the basis of €15-20/mt freight. However, Turkish material remains subject to EU antidumping duties, while additional CBAM-related costs also need to be taken into account, further limiting its competitiveness in the Romanian market.
