NSSC to Revise Announcement of Stainless Price

Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel (NSSC) started study to terminate announcement of alloy link pricing for distributors while the firm has announced the pricing since November 2004, the firm said on Monday. The firm would announce only price change in and after December order.

The announcement of the pricing was welcomed from the market at the start due to transparency of the pricing. However, such pricing in stainless industry is questioned worldwide. One of the reasons is the gap between the announced price and market price.

NSSC started to announce the price since November 2004 based on the original alloy link system with revision for some parts. The firm, however, started the major revision to reflect recent change in stainless market.

The firm revises the calculation formula and if the firm should announce the price. The firm revises the pricing partly due to higher import than before. The firm seeks appropriate system for current market situation while the firm keeps the alloy link pricing itself.

European and US stainless steel makers announce the price change every month through their homepages while POSCO also announces the domestic shipping price every month. Only NSSC announces both the price change and price itself.