Stainless steel prices in the United States edged up in July on higher surcharges, although the uptrend was partially offset by some service centers obtaining lower prices on larger purchases from mills said to be unloading inventory.
Demand also rose modestly, with some service centers reporting strong surges in demand that began at the end of June.Fastmarkets' price assessments for stainless steel 304 cold-rolled sheet, fob mill US and for 304L cold-rolled sheet , fob mill US both rose by $1 per hundredweight to $117 per cwt and $119 per cwt respectively on Friday July 10. The price for 316L cold-rolled sheet remained flat at $152 per cwt, unchanged since rising to that level on June 10.A midwestern service center source pointed to improving demand but lower prices from mills in spite of higher surcharges."I would say business is a...