US DLA sells 2,000 st of high-carbon FeMn

摘要

The US Defense Logistics Agency sold 2,000 stnof high-carbon ferromanganese from the nationalnstockpile under its Basic Ordering Agreementnprogram in February for about $2.04 million tona single buyer, according to a notice posted onnthe agency’s website Monday. The DLA did notndisclose the name of the buyer and only reportsnbuyers’ names in transactions where there isnmore than one buyer awarded material. Buyersnare responsible for removing the material, cleaningnit and screening it to a standard acceptablenby steel mills and moving it to their own warehousesnat their expense, which market sourcesnsay equates to about $100/lt. At $2.04 million,nthe price works out at $1,142.40/lt. Most ofnthe DLA’s material has been stored in the opennand some of it for several decades. Spot pricesnfor high-carbon ferromanganese rose duringnthe course of February. The Platts assessmentnfor US high-carbon ferromanganese, 76% Mn,nwas $1,250-1,300/lt on February 29, up fromn$1,175-1,200/lt on February 1. According tonmarket participants, demand for the alloy hasnbeen strong from steel mills, especially on longtermncontracts, although a major consumernin the south bought around 700-800 mt fornFebruary delivery in late January, which helpedntighten supplies. High-carbon ferromanganesenprices have also been boosted by strong gainsnin silicomanganese prices. The DLA usuallynoffers high-carbon ferromanganese under thenBOA on the second Tuesday of the month andnpublishes details of its sales on or around then5th of the following month.