Octagonal billets offer higher surface area and higher metal yield compared to square and rectangular billets, with improved grain flow, better dimensional accuracy and lower wear on rolling mill equipment.

The European steel industry – mills as well as distributors and steel users – faces a market that is no less than bizarre. For years already, cheap imports from Asia were one problem. On top of that came the duties on steel imported to the USA. Europe had to act, and it did, through safeguard measures and CBAM fees. This is affecting the development of steel supply and the selling prices of steel products in an artificial way. It’s not the balance of supply and demand that defines the market; it’s politics.