European base prices for flat and long stainless steel products were stable this week, while market participants wait for the full range of alloy surcharges to be announced for July.
Finnish stainless steelmaker Outokumpu's alloy steel surcharge for July deliveries of 2mm grade-304 cold-rolled (CR) stainless steel sheet has risen to ?,?1,647 ($1,907) per tonne, the company's website announced on Thursday June 21. This is a sharp rise from its June surcharge of ?,?1,527 per tonne and the sixth consecutive monthly increase. The increase was not unexpected given recent gains in the price of nickel, with similar moves expected from other stainless steel producers before...