Tinplate prices could reach $1,500 a tonne

The Canmaker: "Tinplate prices are on the rise again, and could approach US$1,500 a tonne in Europe when the next round of increases are announced by mills before the end of the year.

Rises in the prices of hot-rolled coil and tin are said to be behind the increases. In North America, tight supply has increased prices by 10 percent so far this year, reported the Wall Street Journal. In China, cuts in steel long product capacity are reported to be feeding through with rising hot-rolled coil prices.

In Europe some of the smaller tinplate manufacturers have cut their capacity as measured by tonnage, but others are producing to the limits of the mills, with thinner gauges increasing the effective capacity using the SITA system that measures tinplate by its area."