After negotiations that lasted a month, Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel accepted a 3 US cent increase in the price of South African charge chrome. The increase in the price of high carbon ferro-chrome is for shipments made during the fourth quarter of this year. The current index price is at US$0.83/pound CIF Japan. Prices have been on the rise since April this year and the current price is very close to the record levels recorded earlier. Tight supplies in the European market helped push prices up. Furthermore the 5 to 10 percent export tax for Chinese ferro-chrome also contributed in the price increasing by 15 cents/pound over the last 3 quarters of South African chrome. (Nov. 16)