According to sources, the Polish scrap market has remained relatively stable during May negotiations, and market participants are not observing major disruptions on the supply or demand sides. Scrap collection flows remain healthy and no shortages have been reported.
On the pricing side, a limited increase of around €5/mt has been observed in recent weeks, in line with the broader European sentiment, where scrap prices have been gradually recovering. However, this upward movement is lower compared to other European markets like Germany and Italy, where scrap price increases have reached up to €10-15/mt.
One of the most interesting developments has been the behavior of Polish scrap suppliers towards the German market. German mills, in fact, have accelerated scrap purchases ahead of the Ascencion and Pentecost holidays, leading to a temporary increase in demand across central Europe. “Under usual circumstances, such a scenario would support higher exports from Poland to Germany - especially given that the price spread between the two markets has widened,” a source commented. “But, interestingly, this reaction has not materialized,” he added.
This situation might be compared to the broader trend observed over the past year. According to recently published BVSE data, Germany’s scrap imports from Poland dropped sharply by 23.2 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, standing at around 554,683 mt, versus 721,954 mt in 2024.
At the domestic level, demand from Polish mills remains stable overall compared to April, with no strong signals of a significant pickup. While some support may come from recently restarted production at major plants, the industrial environment remains challenging, with major indicators pointing to subdued activity and weak downstream demand. Despite higher price requests in the finished steel segment, downstream users are still trying to push back against this trend and they remain unwilling to buy unless necessary.
This overall stability is also reflected in scrap export prices, with HMS I collection prices remaining stable at €290-292/mt DAP.
