The price of the alloy surcharge (share of chromium and nickel) in the price of stainless steels continues to rise with no easing in sight. This share constitutes more than half of the cost of stainless steels.
Moreover, it should be remembered that the price of stainless steel is that of the day of delivery with the price of the current month’s alloy surcharge. Suppliers can no longer afford to offer locked-in prices for periods longer than a few days in view of the volatility of prices.
Finally, tensions on delivery times remain high and it is not uncommon to have delivery times fixed at several months for certain grades of stainless steel.
Evolution of the prices of the alloy surcharge for stainless steel (E/kg)
