Taiwan’s Yusco raises August 300-series stainless steel prices on higher nickel costs

• 304 stainless steel prices rise by TWD 1,500/t ($46/t)
• Tight Indonesian nickel supply supports raw material costs

Taiwan’s leading stainless steel producer, Yieh United Steel Corporation (Yusco), has increased domestic prices for 300-series stainless steel for August deliveries, reflecting higher raw material costs driven by tight nickel supply, a weaker New Taiwan dollar, and elevated freight rates.

Under the latest revision, 304 stainless steel prices have been increased by TWD 1,500/t ($46/t), while the 316L surcharge has been raised by TWD 2,500/t ($77/t). Prices for 400-series stainless steel have been kept unchanged. The revision marks a return to price increases after the company maintained prices in July.

According to Yusco, the latest increase reflects continued tightness in upstream nickel supply following Indonesia’s strict implementation of RKAB (Mining Work Plan and Budget) quotas. Although the Indonesian government has granted limited additional mining quotas to some smelters, the allocations have not been sufficient to ease overall ore tightness. Firm nickel pig iron (NPI) prices and the recent recovery in LME nickel have further increased production costs for 300-series stainless steel.

The company also cited the depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, which has increased the cost of imported nickel units and ferroalloys, while higher ocean freight rates amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have added further pressure to procurement costs.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s imports of 300-series stainless steel hot-rolled products rebounded sharply in June, rising 46.4% month-on-month to around 54,400 t, the second-highest monthly volume of 2026 and ending two consecutive months of decline. Import prices also climbed to their highest level in nearly two years and eight months, extending gains for the fifth consecutive month.

Market participants attributed the rise in import prices to Indonesia’s tighter nickel mining policies, which have pushed up raw material costs and prompted major Indonesian supplier Tsingshan to raise export prices. During H1 2026, Taiwan imported approximately 284,400 t of 300-series stainless steel hot-rolled products, up 3.7% y-o-y, reflecting continued dependence on imported material despite rising costs.

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