Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Sep 24)

[Indonesia] Currently, HRC prices remain stable at 523 USD/tonne FOB. There has been no change over the last three days, despite some steel mills having lowered their prices. Since then, there has been little or no movement in the market. At present, and possibly in the future, we need to monitor the impact of the long public holiday in China, as Chinese steel products are one of the biggest drivers of the steel market in South-East Asia. Freight costs also need to be monitored as oil prices are rising, although it is unlikely that prices will rise too sharply.

German steelmaker Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (HKM) has permanently shut down Blast Furnace A at its Duisburg plant, marking the start of a major transformation as German heavy industry moves toward more environmentally friendly production. HKM shut down the furnace on September 20, after it had produced cast iron continuously since 1973. The move comes against a backdrop of structural change, with HKM becoming wholly owned by the Salzgitter Group in July 2026. Blast Furnace B remains in operation for now, but the strategic plan calls for a gradual phase-out of traditional blast furnace production in favor of electrometallurgy, with Germany's largest electric arc furnace planned for the site. This follows HKM's earlier decommissioning of coke oven battery No. 2 at the same plant in September.

Steel manufacturing and downstream industrial group B5Plus Group has selected Danieli to supply the technological equipment for a new bar and wire rod mill in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The mill will produce rebar in straight lengths from 8 to 32 mm diameter and smooth wire rod from 5.5 to 16 mm, with a capacity of 50 metric tons per hour, or 300,000 metric tons annually. All technological equipment, including the laying head and fast finishing block, will be manufactured at Danieli's headquarters workshop in Italy, with the mill operated through integrated in-house automation systems. The layout allows for future connection to a continuous casting machine, with start-up planned for Q3 2027.