Superalloy prices climbed across most grades on Thursday despite a slight drop in LME Nickel prices.
The weekly Davis Index for Hastelloy C rose by 0.1¢/lb to $4.69/lb for single truckload delivered processor yard and increased for Hastelloy X by 0.4¢/lb to $3.12/lb delivered.
The index for Inconel 600 also inched up by 0.3¢/lb to $4.12/lb delivered and rose by the same amount for 601 to $3.27/lb delivered processor yard.
Inconel 617 grew by 0.2¢/lb to $3.08/lb delivered processor yard and Inconel 625 Vac jumped by 0.3¢/lb to $3.57/lb delivered. The index for Inconel 718 Vac, however, declined by 0.1¢/lb to $2.75/lb delivered processor yard on Thursday.
The official LME Nickel cash contract closed Thursday at $15,690/mt, down by $157/mt from $15,847/mt on Nov 12.
Inconel prices have increased slightly this week in tandem with an increasing LME Nickel market, Thursday’s drop notwithstanding. That said, unlike stainless scrap where demand has revived unexpectedly, there is no major growth in requirements for superalloys from the mills. The demand for Inconel 718, particularly seems slow and has not picked up for the last few weeks, according to some processors.