Aluminium and copper

Aluminium

The early summer price fluctuations because of Donald Trump's introduction of new tariffs have gradually found a stable level and aluminum has remained stable at around 2200 - 2500 EUR/ton. August often marks the beginning of a pick-up in industrial activity after the slow summer period. This renewed demand, combined with a potential build-up of inventories ahead of the fall season, could drive aluminum prices higher.

Copper

The copper price has had a significant decline from July to August but is still above the level from last year. It is the recently announced tariffs that are causing fluctuations in copper prices. Until the news interest has subsided, fluctuations in prices are expected since both consumers and investors are cautious.. The demand for copper remains high and therefore there is also faith that prices will stabilize at a higher level than the current one.

News on products

Bars

Going into September we can still report an unchanged situation in relation to the sourcing of Bars from either EU or Asia. While EU is reporting short lead times for the main-commodities, India is producing within 90 days plus shipment, where ocean-routes are still under pressure due to the Middle-East situation.

The current talks on the street are really much affected by the upcoming CBAM-measure where EU-mills hope to get some of the market-shares back from the import-material and India-mills trying to report data that is verified by third parties to support the importers in the preparation of the new measure being imposed.

As off now there are still many open questions in the handling of the CBAM-measure, with the most important question being unanswered: The price-effect. Based on our own calculations done on the data-base we have collected over many years now in the CSR-work, we expect an effect of something in the range of 70 – 120 €/to. – this can (depending on the grade and dimensions) make a difference in the decision of where to buy. The majority of the sourcing will in the beginning remain unchanged.

Tubes (Seamless)

And also for seamless tubes the situation remains relatively stable: EU-mills being able to deliver within short time, while India-mills are spending 4 – 6 months for production plus shipment. Interesting news on the seamless tubes is the situation around Safeguard, where since July we’re being challenged with a very fast expiration of the quota like we see within bars. This is a new situation and needs the right reaction and measure to cope with.

Tubes (Welded)

In the area of welded tubes the price development has been following the one for coils (as usual). The major European tube mills, however, with the Italians in the forefront, coming back from the vacation period end of August, are expected to push for stabilizing prices in the short term, and are likely to introduce a revised European price list during September to support this.

Availability from mill stocks from Italy is high and once Siderinox has finished the construction of their new high storage warehouse in a few months, availability will increase further.

Fittings and Flanges

As of mid-2025, the global order situation for stainless steel fittings and flanges remains stable, with consistent supply levels and manageable lead times across most regions.

Over the last weeks we could see that the offered prices for flanges from China and India are moving closer together after they have been far away from each other since April 2024. We’re currently running a new large enquiry, where the picture becomes clearer then – by the deadline for this report the numbers weren’t available.

On fittings the situation remains unchanged compared to the last update in May – prices from Asia creating huge pressure on the EU-producers, even though there are some duties imposed.

Damstahl is there to support you readers wherever you see special requirements in Fittings and Flanges.

Sheets & plates

European stainless steel producers for flat products are indicating that prices are nearing the bottom of the current cycle after the downward trend continued during the summer period.

Mills are likely to push for increased prices in September as they prepare for annual contract negotiations to start with OEMs in the automotive and white goods sectors. Stainless scrap prices, which are increasingly used as an indicator of price direction, stabilized in August, offering a little support to coil values.

A predicted reduction in imports, as CBAM taxes come into effect from January 1, 2026, is expected to help support domestic prices later in the year. Buyers are expected to become increasingly reluctant to purchase material from overseas suppliers as the price gap with European material continues to narrow. In addition, the arrival times for new production orders now extend into early 2026 and, as such, will be subject to the new CBAM charges.

Any price rise, however, would have to be supported by an increase in activity or a decrease in supply. Therefore, In Europe, the majority of the mills are continuing to reduce capacity to balance supply and demand - and are rumoured to be considering the implementation of temporary unemployment measures.