[SMM Stainless Steel Market Flash] HKU Develops SS-H2 Stainless Steel for Lower-Cost Seawater Hydrogen Systems

[SMM Analysis] Futures Drag Down Stainless Steel Prices, Steel Mill Profits Narrow Significantly This week, finished stainless steel product prices and production costs pulled back slightly in tandem. Driven by a sharp decline in SS futures, the drop in stainless steel prices widened noticeably, and steel mills’ overall smelting profits narrowed significantly. Based on 304 cold-rolled calculations, this week’s profit margin was 0.24% based on current raw materials and 0.68% based on inventory raw materials. On the nickel-based raw material side, high-grade NPI ended its previous streak of gains this week and entered a pullback after the rally stalled. During the week, high-grade NPI prices fell under pressure as SHFE nickel futures declined and market sentiment was disrupted by news that Indonesian nickel ore approval quotas may increase. Dragged down by the continued build-up of market pessimism and narrowing profit margins at stainless steel mills, high-grade NPI purchasing activity remained weak and sluggish. As of Friday this week, the delivered duty-paid price in China for 10-12% grade Indonesian high-grade NPI fell by 2 yuan/nickel unit to 1,136 yuan/nickel unit. This week, stainless steel scrap prices held steady for the time being, but the market already showed clear signs of pressure. Affected by falling futures and lower finished steel prices, market pessimism continued to intensify. The weak downward trend in high-grade NPI kept narrowing the economic advantage of stainless steel scrap, and cost support continued to weaken. Although higher production schedules fueled expectations of a recovery in rigid demand, steel mills’ limited profit margins and cautious restocking attitudes provided insufficient support for the market. Against a backdrop of multiple bearish factors resonating, stainless steel scrap will weaken in tandem with futures in the short term and remain in the doldrums overall. As of Friday this week, mainstream 304 off-cuts prices in Shanghai were flat, quoted at 10,450 yuan/mt...

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] News Disruption Sends SS Sharply Lower; Stainless Steel Spot Prices Weaken, Trading Sluggish According to SMM on August 14, SS futures saw a sharp pullback. In the night session, the nonferrous metals sector was broadly in the doldrums. SS was already pulling back in tandem with the sector. Coupled with the morning disruption caused by news that Indonesian nickel ore quotas may be increased significantly, SHFE nickel and SS fell sharply in tandem. As of the close, the most-traded SS contract settled at 14,120 yuan/mt. In the spot market, driven by the pullback in SS futures and lower offers from steel mill agents, stainless steel spot prices pulled back significantly. The price drop further reinforced market pessimism, and market trading remained in the doldrums. The Most-Traded SS Futures Contract. At 10:15 a.m., SS2610 traded at 14,245 yuan/mt, down 150 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. In Wuxi, spot premiums for 304/2B were in the 425-825 yuan/mt range. In the spot market, the average price of cold-rolled 201/2B coil in Wuxi was flat; for cold-rolled 304/2B mill-edge coil, the average price in Wuxi fell 100 yuan/mt and that in Foshan fell 150 yuan/mt; cold-rolled 316L/2B coil prices in Wuxi fell 300 yuan/mt; hot-rolled 316L/No.1 coil offers in Wuxi fell 350 yuan/mt; and cold-rolled 430/2B coil prices in both Wuxi and Foshan were flat. This week, stainless steel futures were repeatedly disrupted by macro sentiment and generally maintained a weak pullback trend. During the week, news on Indonesia’s RKAB nickel ore approvals repeatedly disturbed industry expectations. Coupled with the US Fed's hawkish policy stance, the US-Iran geopolitical conflict still...

[SMM Analysis] Futures Weakness and Sluggish Off-Season Demand; Stainless Steel Inventory Posts Slight Buildup and Remains Stable on Limited Arrivals SMM, August 13 – This week, stainless steel social inventory shifted from prior destocking to a slight buildup, with the overall inventory level basically stable and off-season inventory pressure rising at the margin. Total inventories in the two core markets of Wuxi and Foshan edged up from 915,200 mt on August 6, 2026, to 915,900 mt in the latest period, up 0.08% WoW. The buildup was modest, and overall inventory maintained a stable trend. This week, the stainless steel market continued to follow the traditional off-season pattern. Early recovery signals ahead of the September-October peak season had yet to emerge, and rigid demand from end-users remained weak. During the week, SS futures pulled back repeatedly. Wait-and-see sentiment strengthened among traders and downstream users, and most downstream end-users maintained a need-based, hand-to-mouth purchasing pattern. Spot transactions in the market were generally weak, and the destocking efficiency of cargoes was low, creating the core fundamental pressure behind the inventory buildup. On the supply and distribution side, there were temporary offsetting factors. At the beginning of this week, weather disruptions from Typhoon Dolphin constrained logistics shipments and the pace of spot arrivals in east China. The pace of market supply replenishment slowed, effectively offsetting the incremental buildup caused by weak demand, leaving social inventory only slightly higher this week and broadly stable overall. Overall, weak end-use demand in the off-season and weaker futures that dragged on market transactions were the core causes of this week's slight inventory buildup. Meanwhile, typhoon-related disruptions reduced arrivals and effectively curbed any sharp inventory accumulation, ultimately resulting in a slight buildup with overall stability. At this stage, the off-season fundamentals of stainless steel still dominate the market, and end-use demand shows no signs of recovery yet...