This week, as demand continues to be slow with no signs of recovery in the near term due to the summer period and approaching vacations, Romanian flats spot traders have decided to keep their offers stable compared to last week. However, according to sources, due to lower levels of business activity, some major traders have provided higher discounts and are offering hot rolled sheet (HRS) at prices below workable levels.
As a result, in the spot market, workable domestic HRS prices are being quoted at €700-720/mt ex-warehouse, unchanged week on week. However, as mentioned, some larger traders are offering HRS at lower levels of €670–680/mt ex-warehouse.
Similarly, cold rolled sheet (CRS) offers have remained stable compared to last week, at around €820–835/mt ex-warehouse.
Meanwhile, on the side of the sole domestic producer, there has been no positive development. Production remains halted, with no offers or orders placed over the past week. As the deadline given by the court for the producer to submit a new payment plan and obtain creditor approval approaches, the company has decided to change its management team to ensure top tier leadership during this phase. However, many market participants remain doubtful that these changes or commitments will be enough to help the producer recover and return to the market.
On the import side, there is limited interest from Romanian buyers due to the market slowdown. Most buyers prefer sourcing small volumes from neighboring countries, and no significant new deals have been reported. Meanwhile, offers from Ukraine have remained stable for HRS and CRS at €580-600/mt CFR and €670-690/mt CFR, respectively. Likewise, HRC offers from Turkey are unchanged from last week, with FOB prices at $510-525/mt. Including freight costs of about €15-20/mt, this results in delivered prices to Romania of roughly €455-470/mt CFR.