[SMM Aço]

Italian metals distributors' association Assofermet has voiced concern after the Milan Court of Appeal rejected a bid to suspend the shutdown of hot-end operations at the former Ilva steelworks in Taranto. Acciaierie d'Italia plans to begin cooling its blast furnaces from September 16, a process Assofermet says would make restarting them extremely difficult. The association warned the shutdown could structurally cut Italy's steelmaking capacity and deepen import reliance, a risk compounded by the EU's new steel safeguard regime, which since July 1 has cut import quotas and raised out-of-quota duties to 50%.

Thailand has extended anti-dumping (AD) duties on hot-dip galvanized cold-rolled flat steel from China, in coil and non-coil form, effective from September 7, 2026, for up to one year pending a review decision. Tax rates remain unchanged at 3.05%, 3.69%, 4.75%, 8.20%, and 37.54% based on CIF value, with a 0% exemption for materials used in automotive, electrical/electronics, and color-coated steel manufacturing.

[Indonesia] Currently, billet prices are in the range of 480 USD/metric ton FOB. This week has been a quiet period for the Indonesian steel market as the market has shown absolutely no movement, and buyers still consider the price too high; they believe the price should be lowered by about 10 USD/metric ton to be considered reasonable. However, steel mills have no intention of lowering prices at this time due to reports from China that the local steel association is working to reduce production, which is driving prices up. This sentiment may be leveraged in the future, but with absolutely no demand, steel mills may lower prices so their products can be sold.