Following several quiet weeks during the Christmas holiday period, the Romanian flat steel spot market has resumed activity this week, although overall momentum has remained limited. Traders have largely opted to keep their offer levels unchanged compared with pre-holiday levels. According to market participants, despite slightly improved sales just before Christmas, buying interest has remained slow and cautious after the return from the holidays. This caution has been driven mainly by ongoing market uncertainty, particularly related to recent price increase attempts influenced by CBAM-related considerations. As demand has remained restrained, some traders have continued to offer discounts for serious buyers and larger-volume transactions in order to stimulate sales.
Against this backdrop, domestic spot flat steel prices in Romania have remained unchanged from pre-Christmas levels. Hot rolled sheet (HRS) continues to be quoted at €710-735/mt ex-warehouse, while cold rolled sheet (CRS) stands at €825-845/mt ex-warehouse. However, market sources report that some traders are offering discounts of around €15-25/mt in both segments for large and firm orders.
A similar stability has been observed in the import market, with offers largely unchanged and interest from Romanian buyers remaining limited due to weak local demand. Among EU-origin material, a Slovak supplier has kept its HRS offers at €670-680/mt CPT, unchanged from last week. Meanwhile, among non-EU suppliers, a Ukrainian mill has continued to offer HRS at €660-670/mt CPT and CRS at €750-760/mt CPT, also stable week on week. In addition, Egyptian HRC offers for March shipment have been heard this week at around $550/mt FOB, translating to approximately €495-500/mt CFR to Romania, unchanged from the previous week.
At the same time, Turkish mills have slightly increased their quotations, supported by recent positive movements in scrap prices. Their HRC offers for March shipment have risen to €480-495/mt CFR, up from €475-490/mt CFR, based on estimated freight costs of €15-20/mt. Price levels are duty-free depending on the origin, although Turkish material remains subject to EU antidumping duties.
