Proposal to launch Italian import steel slab price

Fastmarkets is proposing to launch a steel slab import, cif Italy price assessment to reflect the change in trade flows that have followed the disruption in traditional supply from the Black Sea.

Italy is a regular buyer of slab, particularly for plate production. In 2020 the country imported 2.4 million tonnes of slab, of which 82% originated from Ukraine, with the remainder mainly from Russia, according to International Steel Statistic Bureau (ISSB).

For this reason, Fastmarkets did not have a separate assessment for the Italian import slab price and reflected sales to Italy in its steel slab export, fob Black Sea, CIS assessment, which included both Russian and Ukrainian material.

Slab supply from Ukraine stopped due to the suspension of some major steelmaking and port operations after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, 2022.

In the absence of Ukraine, Italian re-rollers had to turn to alternative sources of slab, such as India, China and Indonesia.

Other potential sources of slab to Italy are Brazil and Iran.

The new assessment will be essential for tracking price trends amid the increased number of suppliers and origins and will broaden the scope of Fastmarkets’ global slab coverage.

The proposed price specifications are as follows:
Assessment: Steel slab import, cif Italy
Quality: S235JR, width 1,250-2,100mm, thickness 220- 270mm, length 6,000-12,000mm
Quantity: 20,000-50,000 tonnes
Timing: 8-10 weeks
Currency USD/tonne
Payment terms: LC at sight
Incoterms: cif Italy
Publication: Weekly, 2-3 pm London time on Fridays

The consultation period for this proposed launch will end one month from the date of this pricing notice, on Wednesday May 1. The launch will take place, subject to market feedback, on Friday May 3.

To provide feedback on this price or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to any of these prices, please contact Vlada Novokreshchenova by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading ‘FAO: Vlada Novokreshchenova, re: Italy import slab price.’

To see all of Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, please go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology

What to read next
How Europe’s green steel production competes with the rest of the world
Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its European PIX Paper indices as part of its announced annual methodology review process.
The steel market is increasingly pivoting away from blast furnace (BF) production and toward electric-arc furnaces (EAFs), Keith Shuttlesworth, chief commercial officer of clean iron technology company Electra, told Fastmarkets in an interview on Tuesday March 10.
The auto industry is well-positioned to accelerate the use of lower emissions steel and automakers are increasingly using the material to boost competitiveness in the EV market.
This consultation, which is open until April 8, 2026, seeks to ensure that our methodologies continue to reflect the physical market, in compliance with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) principles for Price Reporting Agencies (PRAs). This includes all elements of our pricing process, our price specifications and publication frequency. The price under review […]
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments for copper grade A cathode warrant premiums and aluminium P1020A warrant premiums was delayed on Wednesday March 11 because of a procedural lapse. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.