Proposal to amend Europe stainless steel scrap price assessments to domestic from import

Fastmarkets proposes to amend the location terms of its Europe stainless steel scrap price assessments to domestic from import.

The price assessments in question are:
MB-STS-0008 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids, import, cif main European port, € per tonne
MB-STS-0009 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 turnings, import, cif main European port, € per tonne
MB-STS-0261 Stainless steel scrap 316 solids, import, cif main European port, € per tonne
MB-STS-0262 Stainless steel scrap 316 turnings, import, cif main port Europe, € per tonne

Imports of stainless steel scrap into Europe have become sporadic, while the domestic market offers more consistent liquidity, meaning that domestic assessments will be a more relevant pricing tool for subscribers.

Consequently, it is proposed to change the incoterms for these assessments to delivered merchant Europe from cif main port Europe.

Minimum volumes of 20 tonnes will also be added to the solids price specifications, in which quantities are currently undefined. Turnings minimum volumes will remain undefined, given that smaller tonnages of turnings are often included within a larger quantity of traded solids.

In addition, Fastmarkets proposes to add details pertaining to the quality of the stainless steel scrap being assessed, which is currently undefined. These details will include chemical composition and, in the case of solids, dimensions.

These quality clarifications will also be applied to Fastmarkets’ UK stainless steel price assessments, namely:
MB-STS-0010 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
MB-STS-0011 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 turnings, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
MB-STS-0259 Stainless steel scrap 316 solids, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
MB-STS-0260 Stainless steel scrap 316 turnings, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne

And finally, it is proposed to amend the name of the UK assessments for 18/8 stainless steel scrap to include mention of grade 304. This is being proposed to reduce confusion; 18/8 and 304 are different names for the same grade of stainless steel.

The full list of proposed new specifications is as follows.

Europe
MB-STS-0008 Stainless steel scrap, grade 304 (18/8), delivered merchant Europe, € per tonne
Quality: Clean. Solids, min. size 1mm, max. size 1.5×1.0m. Nickel min. 8.00%, chromium min. 16.00%, molybdenum max. 0.50%, copper max. 0.60%, phosphorus max. 0.45%, sulfur max. 0.05%.
Quantity: minimum 20 tonnes
Location: Delivered merchant
Timing: within 4 weeks
Unit: € per tonne
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm UK time

MB-STS-0009 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 turnings, delivered merchant Europe, € per tonne
Quality: Turnings or shavings, no solids. Nickel min. 8.00%, chromium min. 16.00%, molybdenum max. 0.50%, copper max. 0.60%, phosphorus max. 0.45%, sulfur max. 0.05%.
Quantity: not defined
Location: Delivered merchant
Timing: within 4 weeks
Unit: € per tonne
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm UK time

MB-STS-0261 Stainless steel scrap 316 solids, delivered merchant Europe, € per tonne
Quality: Solids, min. size 1mm, max. size 1.5×1.0m. Nickel min 10.00%, chromium min 16.00%, molybdenum min 2.00%, manganese max. 2.00%
Quantity: minimum 20 tonnes
Location: Delivered merchant
Timing: within 4 weeks
Unit: € per tonne
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm UK time

MB-STS-0262 Stainless steel scrap 316 turnings, delivered merchant Europe, € per tonne
Quality: Turnings or shavings, no solids. Nickel min 10.00%, chromium min 16.00%, molybdenum min 2.00%, manganese max. 2.00%
Quantity: not defined
Location: Delivered merchant
Timing: within 4 weeks
Unit: € per tonne
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm UK time

UK
MB-STS-0010 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 (304) solids, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
Quality: Clean. Solids, min. size 1mm, max. size 1.5×1.0m. Nickel min. 8.00%, chromium min. 16.00%, molybdenum max. 0.50%, copper max. 0.60%, phosphorus max. 0.45%, sulfur max. 0.05%.
Quantity: 0.10-1,000 tonnes
Location: UK
Timing: Prompt shipment within the month or on call-off, varies
Unit: £ per tonne
Payment terms: Varies
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm London time

MB-STS-0011 Stainless steel scrap 18/8 (304) turnings, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
Quality: Turnings or shavings, no solids. Nickel min. 8.00%, chromium min. 16.00%, molybdenum max. 0.50%, copper max. 0.60%, phosphorus max. 0.45%, sulfur max. 0.05%.
Quantity: Not defined
Location: UK
Timing: Prompt shipment within the month or on call-off, varies
Unit: £ per tonne
Payment terms: Varies
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm London time

MB-STS-0259 Stainless steel scrap 316 solids, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
Quality: Solids, min. size 1mm, max. size 1.5×1.0m. Nickel min 10.00%, chromium min 16.00%, molybdenum min 2.00%, manganese max. 2.00%
Quantity: 0.10-1,000 tonnes
Location: UK
Timing: Prompt shipment within the month or on call-off, varies
Unit: £ per tonne
Payment terms: Varies
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm London time

MB-STS-0260 Stainless steel scrap 316 turnings, domestic, delivered merchant UK, £ per tonne
Quality: Turnings or shavings, no solids. Nickel min 10.00%, chromium min 16.00%, molybdenum min 2.00%, manganese max. 2.00%
Quantity: Not defined
Location: UK
Timing: Prompt shipment within the month or on call-off, varies
Unit: £ per tonne
Payment terms: Varies
Publication: Weekly. Friday, 2-3pm London time

The consultation period for this proposed amendment starts from October 28 and will end on November 25. The amendment will then take place, subject to market feedback, on November 28.

To provide feedback on these prices, or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to these prices, please contact pricing@fastmarkets.com and metalsrecycling@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading “re: Europe/UK stainless scrap.”

Please indicate if comments are confidential. Fastmarkets will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available upon request.

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to the Fastmarkets methodology page.

What to read next
India’s fast-growing economy, powered by strong consumption, booming e-commerce, and export-focused policies, is driving structural growth in corrugated packaging demand across FMCG, retail, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and fresh produce. The ban on single-use plastics and a broader sustainability push have accelerated the shift toward paper-based, recyclable packaging. Our assessment brings clarity to India’s fragmented […]
Fastmarkets is launching two price assessments for palm oil mill effluent (POME) for loading out of ports in Malaysia in Indonesia, to meet growing interest from biofuel producers and consumers in Europe and other parts of Asia. The first publication of these two price assessments will be on Thursday December 4 and will be published […]
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the methodology for assessing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) base cost of production in the US, effective January 5, 2026.
Fastmarkets wishes to clarify the conversion factor for Singapore Exchange (SGX) iron ore derivative forward curves data used to assess its low-grade and high-grade iron ore indices.
Following consultations and expressions of support from a broad range of market participants, Fastmarkets has decided to launch new price assessments of northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) and bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp spot prices for Europe, starting in January 2026.
Fastmarkets will include EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) costs in its secondary aluminium billet premium, ddp Europe (MB-AL-0383) and its primary aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, in-whs dp Rotterdam (MB-AL-0002) assessments from January 1, 2026, when the definitive period of the EU’s CBAM is set to begin. The inclusion of CBAM costs with MB-AL-0383 and MB-AL-0002 will enable […]