After a consultation period, Fastmarkets has concluded that it will launch price assessments for ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 60-64.9% Cr, max 3% Si, cif Europe, $ per lb Cr, and ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 65-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, $ per lb Cr.
The two new prices will be published alongside the existing assessment for MB-FEC-0004 ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 60-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, $ per lb Cr, until the end of 2021, at which point the latter will be discontinued.
The assessment of the new prices will start on October 27 and not October 22 as was stated in the earlier pricing notice.
The assessment for ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 60-64.9% Cr, max 3% Si, cif Europe, $ per lb Cr, will allow for the inclusion of seaborne high-carbon ferro-chrome that is excluded from the current assessment because its silicon content is higher than the specification allows.
This material tends to be priced on a cif basis and often comes from India, where producers lack the systems necessary to offer on a delivered basis in Europe. This is reflected in the incoterm of the new price.
The new price specifications are as follows:
MB-FEC-0020 Ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 60-64.9% Cr, max 3% Si, cif Europe, $ per lb Cr
Quality: Lump, Cr 60-64.9%, C 6-8.5%, Si 3% max.
Quantity: Min 24 tonnes
Location: cif major European ports (other incoterms will be normalized)
Unit: USD per lb of chrome contained
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly, Tuesday at 2-3pm London time.
MB-FEC-0021 Ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 65-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, $ per lb Cr
Quality: Lump, Cr 65-70%, C 6-8.5%, Si 1.5%.
Quantity: Min 24 tonnes
Location: Delivered consumer works Europe (other incoterms will be normalized)
Unit: USD per lb of chrome contained
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly, Tuesday at 2-3pm London time.
The two prices above will eventually replace Fastmarkets’ existing European price assessment for high-carbon ferro-chrome, which will be discontinued at the end of 2021.
Fastmarkets initially proposed discontinuing the original price at the end of 2020, but market feedback indicated a preference for a longer phase-out period, in order to monitor the movement of the new prices, and the spread between the two grades.
The specification of the price to be discontinued is as follows:
MB-FEC-0004 Ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 60-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, $ per lb Cr
Quality: Lump, Cr 60-70%, C 6-8.5%, Si 1.5%.
High-carbon ferro-chrome of the following brands and origins: Kazakhstan (Kazchrome); Russia (Tikhvin, Chelyabinsk); Turkey (Eti Krom); Sweden (Vargon Alloys); Albania (Albchrome)
Quantity: Min 24 tonnes
Location: Delivered consumer works Europe
Unit: USD per lb of chrome contained
Payment terms: 30 days, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly, Tuesday between 2pm and 3pm London time.
Fastmarkets does not propose to add a list of brands in the new prices, as it does in the existing assessment. Instead, the specifications alone will define which material can be included.
Will the structure mean a loss of liquidity?
Most material captured in the existing price assessment falls within the proposed new 65-70% Cr range, so no significant loss of liquidity is expected. And additional liquidity will be captured in the price assessment for material with 60-64.9% Cr, 3% max Si.
Across the two quotes, Fastmarkets expects to capture additional market activity, compared with the one existing price.
What is the timeline for the new pricing structure?
- Start of assessment of new prices: October 27, 2020
- Concurrent weekly publication of new and existing prices: October 27, 2020, to end 2021
- Final publication of existing price: December 28, 2021
- Continuation of two new prices only: from January 2022.
Why run the new and old prices at the same time?
The time period that the three price assessments will be run concurrently has been extended to the end of 2021 rather than 2020, as originally suggested, following consultation with the market.
Fastmarkets is aware of the importance of its existing price assessment in the marketplace and its use in contracts. The extended period will give market participants the opportunity to choose how to structure and refer to the new price assessments in their contracts.
Fastmarkets will continue to assess whether the new prices best meet the demands of market participants during this period, and on a continuing basis.
Fastmarkets has no financial interest in the level or direction of its price assessments.
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 Jon Stibbs by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading FAO: Jon Stibbs, re: High carbon ferro-chrome.
To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology.
