Taiwan’s stainless steel distributors began raising sales prices on April 1, ahead of the four-day Qingming Festival holiday. This move reflects the upstream mills’ April price hike of NT$4,000 per ton for 304-series products. In southern Taiwan, some sellers have already increased 304/2B coil prices by NT$2,000 compared to the previous offers.
High raw material costs continue to lift factory exit prices, with LME nickel rebounding to US$17,200 and nickel pig iron staying at CNY 1,100. Although steel plate prices show more moderate increases, overall trading remains flat.
Market participants plan to monitor market feedback today before implementing broader price adjustments once the holiday concludes. Watchful eyes remain on Chinese futures, which currently show limited upward momentum.