This week, the Romanian flats spot market has seen a modest upward adjustment in prices. Market participants report a slight pickup in buyer activity, particularly in the hot rolled sheet (HRS) segment, signaling signs of demand recovery after the summer slowdown. Although the overall pace remains cautious, mainly due to ongoing financial constraints, market sentiment has improved resulting in increased offers and a rise in domestic sales activity. Meanwhile, Liberty Galati, the country's sole flat steel producer, which is currently undergoing a restructuring process, remains publicly silent. According to local sources, the mill has no active production or sales activity at the moment.
In the spot market, hot rolled sheet (HRS) prices have moved up to €710-735/mt ex-warehouse, compared to last week’s €700-720/mt. Cold rolled sheet (CRS) has also seen a slight increase, now quoted at €830-845/mt ex-warehouse, up from €825-835/mt previously.
On the import side, Romanian buyers have continued to purchase limited volumes from Ukraine. Although the tonnages remain modest, several recent deals have been concluded. Meanwhile, no deals have been reported from outside the EU so far, despite the new EU quota period. However, according to sources, there is growing interest in Turkish-origin material, and negotiations are currently underway.
Currently, the offer from the Ukrainian supplier has remained stable, with hot rolled sheet (HRS) quoted at €590-600/mt CPT and cold rolled sheet (CRS) at €680-690/mt CPT for October shipments. As for Turkish origin material, a slight $5/mt decrease has been observed in calculated delivered prices to Romania, mainly due to recent currency fluctuations rather than changes in mill pricing. Taking into account estimated freight costs of €15-20/mt, CFR levels for November shipments from Turkey to Romania are now assessed at approximately €470-490/mt CFR.