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Forecasts and market analysis based on price assessments from Fastmarkets MB and Fastmarkets AMM

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Stainless Steels

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Stainless Steels Market Tracker is a comprehensive monthly report specialising in detailed analysis of all the major worldwide nickel, stainless steel and scrap markets. The report covers key issues affecting the global trading conditions, including stainless steel long and flat product transactions prices and production statistics.

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Stainless Steels Market Tracker is the most complete and independent report to give you regular market analysis and price forecasting for the stainless steel industry.

Your monthly 16-page report includes:

  • Global analysis and outlook for stainless steel, flat and long product pricing, including base, surcharge, and effective transactions for key austenitic and ferritic grades.
  • Short and medium-term forecasts for key market parameter - price, consumption, production and inventory.
  • Selected regional supply and demand analysis, with tables of key production, consumption, trade and inventory statistics.
  • Analysis of alloy surcharge highlights, focusing on individual regions and mills.
  • Reactions and outlook for the alloys markets with market indicators for key alloys such as nickel, chrome and molybdenum.
  • Analysis of global scrap markets, including key pricing and trade data.
  • Performance indicators for the world's leading stainless steel producers, including profitability and shipment levels.

Independent data including:

  • Two-year forecast and five years of historical prices for US, European and Asian stainless steel price, base and surcharge prices.
  • Current prices, broken down by product and geographical regions.
  • Alloy surcharges, listed by mill, with averages by region.
  • Five years of historical data for stainless steel production, consumption, import/export and shipments.
  • Five-year archive of stainless raw material prices and stainless scrap pricing.

All subscribers are eligible for regular individual consultations with the editor of the report.

Alistair Ramsay

Alistair rejoined MBR in 2012 as our Research Manager, focusing on the weekly, monthly, and quarterly forecasting services. This followed eight years at CRU where he edited various carbon and special steel subscription reports and several bespoke services. He first joined MBR in 2002 as a Research Analyst, developing a broad knowledge of steel raw materials and finished steel markets. His main area of expertise is in stainless steel flat products. 


Market Brief



What is stainless steel?
 
‘Stainless steel’ covers a group of metals that have become very important due to their anti-corrosion or rust resistant qualities. Invented about a century ago, the application of stainless steel is vast, but includes domestic, construction, transport, medical, food and drink, water and sewage and oil and gas.
 
These iron alloys have a minimum of 10.5% chromium. It is the chromium that gives stainless steels their anti-corrosive properties – it creates a thin layer of oxide (“the passive layer”) on the surface of the steel which prevents corrosion.
 
Additional alloying elements such as nickel, molybdenum, titanium and copper, are added to enhance certain properties: e.g. strength and cryogenic toughness.
 
Classes of Stainless Steel:
 
1. Ferritic
A less expensive class of stainless steel due to its lack of nickel content. Ferritic grades of stainless steel are used for high-temperature applications (such as engine exhausts).  As ferritic stainless steels do not weld to a high standard, can’t be hardened by heat treatment, and are do not fare well in aggressively corrosive conditions, their use is a little limited.

2. Austenitic
Austenitic stainless steel accounts for about 70% of all stainless steel production. Its makeup is classically 18%Cr8%Ni. This versatile stainless steel is ductile and can be formed and welded with successful results. Austenitic stainless steels sometimes contain molybdenum.

3. Duplex stainless steels
A combination of ferritic and austenitic stainless steels, with intermediate nickel content. This stainless steel is very high strength.

4. Martensitic
Martensitic stainless steels are similar to ferritic steels, but have higher carbon levels (about 0.1-1.2%). They are high strength as they can be hardened by heat treatment, but with poor weldability and moderate corrosion resistance.

5. Precipitation Hardening
These stainless steels are very high strength because other elements, such as copper, aluminium and niobium, are added. They are easily welded.