The Romanian flats steel market remains largely stable this week, with domestic spot prices holding steady. Although prices have not changed, discounts are being quietly offered by sellers to stimulate activity in a sluggish market. According to local media, production at the country’s sole flats steel producer has resumed following a recent accident. However, in the absence of an official announcement and given the producer’s weakened reputation over the past year due to financial difficulties, buyers remain cautious. As a result, many are still hesitant to place orders with the domestic mill, instead continuing to prefer and follow nearby suppliers for restocking.
“Discounts of €5-10/mt are being offered, but demand remains limited and is likely to stay that way as summer approaches. Unfortunately, the difficulties in Liberty Galati continue indefinitely. Without clear communication or concrete offers, market trust is simply not there,” a trader told SteelOrbis.
In the spot market, workable prices for domestic hot rolled sheet (HRS) are quoted at €715-735/mt ex-warehouse, unchanged from last week. Cold rolled sheet (CRS) offers also remain stable, at around €820–840/mt ex-warehouse.
In the import segment, concerns over the reliability of the sole domestic producer to fulfill future orders have prompted buyers to turn to nearby countries for smaller, short term purchases. Despite this shift, no notable trading activity has been reported this week. Ukrainian offers for both HRS and CRS have remained stable compared to last week, at €610-620/mt DAP and €700-710/mt DAP, respectively. Meanwhile, Turkish HRC offers have declined slightly. FOB prices are now at approximately $530-540/mt, and with freight costs of around €25/mt, this brings the delivered price to Romania to about €485-495/mt CFR, down from last week’s €485-500/mt CFR.