Dear Valued Customers,
The European stainless steel market has long priced on a base price plus alloy surcharge mechanism. The alloy surcharge is calculated from monthly average prices of alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, and molybdenum, and is published monthly by the mills to insulate contracts from raw material cost volatility. As Europe's three largest stainless steel producers, Acerinox, Aperam, and Outokumpu set what the market treats as its pricing benchmark: their published surcharges determine settlement prices under long-term contracts in automotive and white goods, and serve as the reference point for distributor quotations, import competitiveness calculations, and cross-regional price comparisons. With the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) now in force and stainless steel import quota policy under continued adjustment, demand for close tracking of this benchmark has risen further.
To further improve SMM's overseas stainless steel database and enhance the transparency of European stainless steel pricing mechanisms, SMM will launch Monthly European stainless steel alloy surcharge data by grade on 14th August, 2026, covering 21 grade categories across the three mills.
1. Data Point Names
1.1 Acerinox Monthly Stainless Steel Alloy Surcharge
- Public Data & SMM: Acerinox Stainless Steel Flat Products 201 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Acerinox Stainless Steel Flat Products 304 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Acerinox Stainless Steel Flat Products 316L Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Acerinox Stainless Steel Flat Products 430 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Acerinox Stainless Steel Flat Products 2205 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Acerinox Stainless Steel Flat Products 904L Grades: Monthly
1.2 Aperam Monthly Stainless Steel Alloy Surcharge
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 201 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 304 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 304L Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 316L Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 316A Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 409 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 430 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 441 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Aperam Stainless Steel Flat Products 2205 Grades: Monthly
1.3 Outokumpu Monthly Stainless Steel Alloy Surcharge
- Public Data & SMM: Outokumpu Stainless Steel Flat Products 304 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Outokumpu Stainless Steel Flat Products 304L Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Outokumpu Stainless Steel Flat Products 316L Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Outokumpu Stainless Steel Flat Products 409 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Outokumpu Stainless Steel Flat Products 430 Grades: Monthly
- Public Data & SMM: Outokumpu Stainless Steel Flat Products 2205 Grades: Monthly
2. Publication Frequency and Timing
- Update frequency: Monthly
- Unit: Euro per tonne
- SMM update timing: In line with each mill's official publication schedule. Data is updated as soon as the respective mill releases its monthly surcharge
- First publication: 14th August, 2026
3. Data Sources and Methodology
- Product scope: Stainless steel flat products.
- Regional basis: All three mills publish on a Europe-wide basis, without breakdown by sub-region.
- Unit conversion: Acerinox publishes in EUR per kilogram; SMM converts these figures to EUR per tonne to keep all three mills directly comparable.
- Grade coverage: The grades published by each mill differ, SMM reports each mill's coverage as published.
These data points will help users track month-to-month movements in Europe's stainless steel pricing benchmark, compare surcharge levels across the three mills grade by grade, and support competitiveness analysis for shipments into Europe as well as quotation and procurement planning.
SMM will continue to monitor alloy surcharge publications from the three European mills and update the data based on their official releases.
Should you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.
SMM Stainless Steel Research Team
12th August, 2026