STEEL SCRAP WRAP: Supply tightness continues to drive up prices

Global ferrous scrap prices continued on an upward trend due to supply tightness and strong demand by steelmakers in the week ended Friday November 27.

  • Strong demand in Turkey to feed domestic, export markets
  • Limited transactions in US because of Thanksgiving holiday
  • Strong demand in Vietnam on supply shortage
  • Container shortages in Taiwan support import prices
  • Indian prices move upward once more.

Turkey
Turkish steel mills were actively procuring import cargoes this week on steady demand for finished steel products in their domestic and export markets.

Steelmakers purchased 10 cargoes from the Baltic Sea and Europe. Sources said that there were limited numbers of transactions for United States-origin scrap due to a lack of supply in that country.

Pricing history
steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), Northern Europe origin, cfr Turkey.
steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), US origin, cfr Turkey.

United States
Export markets on both coasts of the US were largely muted in the lead-up to the major Thanksgiving holiday in the country on November 26.

Pricing history
steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), export index, fob New York.
steel scrap shredded scrap, export index, fob New York.
steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), export index, fob Los Angeles.

Vietnam
Import demand remained strong on supply tightness for Japanese and American scrap, with buyers looking for Russian A3-grade cargoes to augment inventory levels.

Pricing history
steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), cfr Vietnam.

Taiwan
Taiwanese steel mills were faced with a limited supply of containerized cargoes due to a shortage of containers and freight space.

Pricing history
steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US material import, cfr main port Taiwan.

India
Prices in India and Pakistan moved up due to continuing logistics issues and a rising international market.

Pricing history
steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India.

What to read next
An incorrect EUR/USD exchange rate, used to convert the cost of inputs priced in euros to US dollars, caused the prices to be calculated incorrectly. This has now been rectified. The following prices were affected: AG-SAF-0004 Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF max), base cost, exw Netherlands, $/tonnePublished incorrectly as: $2,995 per tonneCorrected to: $1,996 per tonne […]
The United States convened more than 50 countries in Washington this week for a critical minerals summit that delivered a flurry of new initiatives designed to reshape the geopolitics — and pricing mechanics — of minerals essential to semiconductors, electric vehicles and the defense supply chain.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ European aluminium billet premiums assessments for Friday February 6 was delayed because of a procedural error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
Glencore’s share price fell sharply on Thursday February 5 after Rio Tinto confirmed it was no longer pursuing a potential merger, ending weeks of speculation about a combination that would have created one of the world’s largest mining companies.
The US laid out its strongest push yet to reshape global critical minerals supply chains at the inaugural Critical Mineral Ministerial in Washington on Wednesday February 4, where senior officials detailed plans for an allied trade bloc built on reference prices and enforceable price floors – a potential turning point for small, strategically important markets such as tungsten.
A new US initiative to establish a stockpile of critical minerals for the civilian economy could add pressure to already stretched supply, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday February 3 and Wednesday February 4.