The Romanian flat steel spot market has recorded a modest price increase this week, largely in line with expectations, as EU mills raised their offers amid the introduction of new safeguard measures and the awaited implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Despite this upward movement, liquidity constraints persist across the market, continuing to limit overall trading activity. While business conditions are not entirely weak, they remain constrained as buyers are being cautious amid uncertain demand prospects. Market participants remain uncertain about whether the recent price increases can be sustained or fully accepted in the current domestic environment, given ongoing financial challenges and subdued consumption in downstream industries.
Consequently, spot market quotations for hot rolled sheet (HRS) have increased week on week to €720-745/mt ex-warehouse, up from €710-735/mt ex-warehouse in the previous week. Similarly, cold rolled sheet (CRS) prices have risen to €835-865/mt ex-warehouse, compared with €830-845/mt ex-warehouse last week.
On the other hand, the country’s sole flat steel producer, Liberty Galati, remains inactive and continues to face a bleak operational outlook. However, as reported earlier by SteelOrbis, UMB Steel has submitted a formal request to the government to urgently purchase the Liberty Galati plant and restart production. However, no further updates have been reported regarding this proposal yet.
Meanwhile, on the import side, since the domestic producer remains idle, Romanian buyers continue to rely on nearby suppliers for small to medium-volume restocking. Nevertheless, no new purchases have been reported this week, while import offers have shown a slight upward trend. According to reports, Ukrainian suppliers have increased their offers by €10/mt, bringing HRS prices to €635-640/mt CPT and CRS prices to €725-730/mt CPT. Likewise, Turkish suppliers have slightly raised their offers for hot rolled coil (HRC), with CFR prices for November shipments to Romania now assessed at €475-490/mt, compared with €475-485/mt last week. These prices include freight costs estimated at €15-20/mt. It is important to note that these import prices are duty-free depending on the source, although Turkish material remains subject to EU antidumping duties.
