Superalloy prices rose slightly across all grades on Thursday despite a fall in LME nickel that has remained volatile throughout this week.
The weekly Davis Index for Hastelloy C ticked up to $4.436/lb for single truckload delivered processor yard from $4.434/lb delivered on Thursday and increased by 2.6¢/lb for Hastelloy X to $2.917/lb delivered.
The index for Inconel 600 rose by 1.9¢/lb to $3.833/lb delivered while Inconel 601 jumped up by 1.5¢/lb to $3.019/lb delivered processor yard. Inconel 617 increased by 1.3¢/lb to $2.988/lb delivered. Inconel 625 Vac also ticked up by 2.3¢/lb to $3.293/lb delivered processor yard while Inconel 718 Vac rose to $3.034/lb delivered from $3.026/lb delivered on Thursday.
The official LME nickel cash contract closed Thursday at $14,666/mt, down by $39/mt from Wednesday.
Superalloy buying prices have risen in tandem with stainless steel buying prices this week. The volatile nickel market has the demand for Inconel grades subdued over the past few weeks. Processors do not expect demand to rise any time soon and thus project prices to remain at around the same levels moving forward.