Polish company Cognor has raised its rebar prices by 20% since the beginning of the year

The company is responding to weak demand, Chinese dumping, and expectations of tighter EU market protection

The Polish steel group Cognor Holding has raised its rebar prices by nearly 20% effective early 2026, amid a gradual market recovery and changes in the EU regulatory environment. The company expects these steps to partially offset losses from the weak 2025 and improve financial results in the coming quarters.

Last year, the manufacturer operated under significant margin pressure. In particular, the collapse of prices in the rebar market caused by dumping from Chinese suppliers, as well as weak demand in Europe, led to a decline in revenue of over 9% year-over-year—to PLN 2.08 billion. Sales volumes of scrap, billets, and finished products declined in both physical and monetary terms, negatively impacting financial performance.

The key factor behind the decline in results was the narrowing of the margin between finished product prices and raw material costs, which determines the company’s profitability. At the same time, high investment costs and a significant debt burden intensified financial pressure.

Cognor notes that an improvement in operating metrics is expected as early as the first quarter of 2026, and the company anticipates returning to profitability in the second quarter. Another positive factor is the gradual recovery of demand in certain market segments.

Regulatory changes in the EU are expected to provide additional support to the industry. In particular, the introduction of the CBAM mechanism and new market protection tools, which, according to the company’s estimates, could reduce external steel supply by approximately 50%. This creates the conditions for increased capacity utilization and price stabilization.

At the same time, Cognor continues to modernize its production. New lines in Gliwice and Krakow have already achieved their planned efficiency targets, while in Siemianowice Śląskie, production of higher-margin products is being ramped up. The company also plans further investments aimed at improving technological capabilities and entering more profitable markets.

As a reminder, in early April, the European Commission published an implementing regulation clarifying the classification of rebar under the current steel safeguard regime. The document includes changes to the classification of products under the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system applied to imports of certain steel products into the EU. Under the current regime, which covers 26 categories of steel products, an additional duty of 25% is levied on volumes exceeding the quota.