According to the adjustment of surcharges from European stainless steel mills Outokumpu, Aperam and Acerinox for December, the stainless steel alloy surcharges for 304 cold-rolled coil with a thickness of 2mm was 1,321-1,365 euros/ton, lower by 46-60 euros/ton compared to the previous month. The surcharge for the 304 polished rod fell by 63-74 euros/ton month on month to 1,629-1,682 euros/ton. The surcharge of molybdenum-containing 316 cold-rolled sheets with a thickness of 2mm was at 2,032-2,088 euros/ton, down by 52-74 euros/ton from last month.

The stainless steel alloy surcharges in Europe have dropped for 5 consecutive months, which was mainly due to a decline in nickel prices and the competition with low-priced imports from Asian market.

It was understood that Asian stainless steel products was made of nickel pig iron, which had a relatively low cost compared to European processes.