The Romanian flat steel spot market has remained quiet for another week, with sluggish demand persisting. As a result, spot market traders have opted to keep prices stable, mirroring last week’s levels. The start of August has brought a typically slow trading period, with many companies on holiday, similar to the rest of the EU region.
Currently, domestic hot rolled sheet (HRS) prices in the Romanian spot market are quoted at €700-720/mt ex-warehouse, unchanged week on week. Similarly, cold rolled sheet (CRS) prices have also remained flat, standing at €825-835/mt ex-warehouse.
Meanwhile, as previously reported by SteelOrbis, Romania’s sole flat steel producer, Liberty Galati, has received court approval for its new restructuring plan. However, the overall outlook remains bleak. According to local media sources, ANAF (the Romanian tax authority) voted against the plan, and the plant is currently not producing, while also failing to pay worker salaries and cutting working hours. As a result, workers initiated a protest at the Liberty Galati plant this week, but no significant developments have emerged so far.
In the import market, the situation remains similarly muted. Offers have been stable, with limited interest from Romanian buyers. Some minor activity was observed from pipe manufacturers, but no concrete deals were concluded. According to sources, Ukrainian offers for HRS and CRS remain stable at €590-605/mt CFR and €680-695/mt CFR, respectively, for August-September shipments. In contrast, Turkish HRC offers have softened slightly, mainly due to currency fluctuations. Turkish FOB-based prices now range at $530-550/mt. With estimated freight costs of €15-20/mt, delivered prices to Romania are now calculated at approximately €470-490/mt CFR for September shipment, down from last week’s €480-500/mt CFR.
