Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and strong tension on the price of nickel, especially after the suspension of the LME at the beginning of the month, which caused the price of a ton of nickel to rise by €14,000/T over one month (an increase of about 69%), the price of the alloy surcharge for all grades has risen sharply, after a slight downturn in February and March.
It should be noted that the price of the alloy surcharge is set on a month-to-month basis by the various suppliers according to the grades of stainless steel they supply. There are therefore differences between the different suppliers but the trend is the same for all of them.
This increase in the price of extra alloy, coupled with an increase in the price of steel, will lead to strong increases in the prices of the different grades of stainless steel. These increases will of course vary between suppliers and wholesalers depending on the type of packaging (sheet, coil, wire), the quantities and dimensions requested, the rolling or work hardening qualities, etc.