Page 47 from: November 2015
45November 2015
Alloy Metals & Steel Market Research
of Germany. For the current year, an
increase of 1.6% to 42.516 million
tonnes is anticipated. And for 2016, the
analyst is projecting world production
growth of 5.2% to 44.726 million
tonnes, with China accounting for
24.1 million tonnes or almost 54% of
the total.
For the fourth quarter of this year,
the benchmark price for charge
chrome has been cut from
US$ 1.08 to US$ 1.04
per lb for European
consumers. EU-28 charge
chrome imports into the
major consuming markets
fell by 14.7% to 904 000
tonnes, with South Africa
remaining the leading supplier
with 64.6% and Kazakhstan in second
place with 15.9% of the volume. In
South Africa itself, ferro-chrome
production in the year to July fell
by 3.3% to 2.21 million tonnes
and supply climbed 1.9% to
2.632 million tonnes, according
to Pariser.
Also in the first
seven months of
2015, EU-28 stainless steel scrap
imports from third countries
dropped 11.5% year on year to
271 102 tonnes while exports
climbed 6.8% to 218 551
tonnes.
Europe
In general, demand for scrap
remains poor and the European
stainless steel industry is some
way short of being in full swing.
In Germany, nickel cathodes
have traded recently at
US$ 9310 per tonne.
Meanwhile, weak
pricing has persisted
for alloyed scrap,
with V2A at around
US$ 1089 per tonne
a n d V 4 A
a t s o m e
US$ 1402. On the Dutch market, INOX
18/8 nickel scrap has been fetching
around US$ 1135 per tonne.
China and elsewhere
in Asia
Attempts in early October to boost
stainless steel prices in China
were generally met with a drop-
off in buying interest. However,
an improvement in nickel prices
generated higher stainless steel
numbers towards the end of the
month and a subsequent limited upturn
in sales.
China’s stainless steel melting output
could rise by approaching 5% next
year to 23 million tonnes, it has been
suggested by Dr Gerhard Pariser, senior
consultant at leading German analyst
Heinz H. Pariser Alloy Metals & Steel
Market Research.
North America
US mills are continuing to book scrap
deliveries on a regular basis but
overall demand made a weak start
to the final quarter and is widely
expected to soften further before the
end of the year. Prices have reflected
the drops in value suffered by nickel
and the other key elements, including
most notably iron.
Speaking at the BIR’s late-October
World Recycling Convention in Prague,
Dr Gerhard Pariser of Heinz H. Pariser
Alloy Metals & Steel Market Research
in Germany presented a forecast that
Nickel & Stainless
Minor metals
As with stainless steel, the high speed steel market has seen better times.
And again just like stainless steel, all the elements used in the production
of high speed steel – such as tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium and cobalt
– are currently locked into a low-price phase. Incoming orders are very poor
and production has therefore shrunk over recent months. The machinery
market, an important consumer of high speed steels, has fallen away
dramatically.
Once a favourite on the LME, molybdenum has tumbled to US$ 10 000-10
500 per tonne from US$ 11 700-12 200 over the past month. Only cobalt
has found sufficient buyers within Europe to stop the downward trend.
Ferro-vanadium is searching for its low point and has dropped back to US$
13.20-13.90 per kg V. Ferro-tungsten has yet to stop falling and is cur-
rently quoted at US$ 22.80-23.50 per kg W. Even ferro-titanium has fol-
lowed the general downtrend and weakened to US$ 4.20-4.50 per kg Ti
(maximum 4.5% Al).
