Local German scrap prices moved up during the month of December as anticipated. Since winter conditions and the lower number of working days in December impacted scrap flow, scrap prices moved up, also supported by Turkey’s increased deep sea scrap procurement prices.
Today, January 4, European collection prices in Amsterdam have increased to €330/mt DAP, up by €5/mt. However, market sources report that local steel producers in Europe have not yet increased their purchase prices so much in January. Market players believe that local European producers may be forced to accept higher levels if they want to compete with exporters. “Scrap flow is still on the low side because sub-collectors are not fond of the current prices,” a source commented. Also, due to the ongoing rainfalls, water levels of rivers are high and may disrupt shipments to export yards. A European source said that, if the disruption becomes frequent, market players may decide to use trucks instead to meet their previous commitments. “However, this would cause freight to increase sharply. The difference between truck and river shipments is at least €25-30/mt,” the source added.
According to the latest data provided by the BDSV, in the first 20 days of December, scrap prices moved up by €23.3-31.3/mt month on month. Additionally, the year-on-year increase is now in the range of €12-32.4/mt. Prices are average prices for domestic transactions across Germany in the first 20 days of the given month. The prices are provided by Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Stahlrecycling-und Entsorgungsunternehmen e.V. (BDSV).
Scrap grade |
Price: December 2023(€/mt) |
Price: November 2023(€/mt) |
Price: December 2022 (€/mt) |
Monthly Change (€/mt) |
Annual change (€/mt) |
E1 - Old steel scrap |
317,1 |
285,8 |
296,7 |
31,3 |
20,4 |
E2/E8 - New steel scrap |
341,3 |
317,4 |
329,3 |
23,9 |
12,0 |
E3 - Heavy old steel scrap |
341,2 |
312,9 |
324,0 |
28,3 |
17,2 |
E40 - Shredded scrap |
359,2 |
328,7 |
335,6 |
30,5 |
23,6 |
E5M - Steel turnings |
269,7 |
246,4 |
237,3 |
23,3 |
32,4 |
Specifications:
E1 - Old steel scrap: thickness ≥ 4 mm, maximum dimensions 1,5 m x 0,5 m x 0,5 m
E2/E8 - New steel scrap: maximum dimensions 1,5 m x 0,5 m x 0,5 m
E3 - Heavy old steel scrap: thickness ≥ 6 mm, maximum dimensions 1,5 m x 0,5 m x 0,5 m
E40 - Shredded scrap: excluding incinerator steel scrap and collection scrap; density ≥ 1,1 mt/m3, Fe ≥ 92%
E5M - Turnings: excluding iron and automatic steel turnings