30 September 2025 – Taiwanese stainless steel producers have announced price increases for October 2025. A Northern European stainless steel producer says tariffs are creating uncertainty in the markets and calls for a stricter successor to the expiring safeguard measure.
Taiwanese stainless steel prices rise
The first Taiwanese stainless steel producers have announced price increases for October 2025. The price rises are due in part to stronger demand, but also to higher raw material costs. Nickel and nickel pig iron prices have moved largely sideways since the beginning of September, with gains of up to 1.5%. Asian ferrochrome prices improved by more than 3% over the course of the month.
Stainless steel: a white paper is not a scientific study
White papers published by companies are, first and foremost, a marketing tool intended to persuade customers on a particular topic. They are not genuine, scientifically grounded studies – especially when they are based on surveys with very few respondents.
Only 49 responses representing the entire stainless steel sector?
The recently published white paper by Northern European stainless steel producer Outokumpu on “Global stainless steel supply disrupted by tariffs and geopolitics” – which industry media are also keen to present as a study – is based on such a survey with a very small target group. Of the approximately 70 customers approached, only 49 completed the questionnaire in full. This further weakens the substantive weight of the white paper and makes it unlikely to reflect the real views of the stainless steel industry.
But, as the oft-quoted saying goes: never trust a statistic you haven’t falsified yourself.
Tariffs and geopolitical changes create uncertainty
That said, we welcome the statement in Outokumpu’s related press release that tariffs and geopolitical changes are creating uncertainty in the markets.
Paradox: Outokumpu calls for stricter safeguard successor?
We also wonder, however, why Outokumpu issued a press release just one day after publishing the white paper, entitled “Outokumpu calls for efficient safeguard measures to protect European steel industry“. In it, the company demands the introduction of “strict tariff rate quotas by true country of origin” in Europe and urges the EU to respond to the expiry of the safeguard measure in June 2026 with “more assertive solutions” and “more effective measures“.
That, Outokumpu, does not fit together at all. Or how do you see it?
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Disclaimer: Many things here represent our opinion. Others are information from the Internet. We can therefore never claim to be correct or complete. And never base a business decision solely on the news you receive from us.
