GCX Exchange
Notes from the physical metals market
How the exchange matches orders, how a deal is priced and delivered, and what is moving in the market — written for people who trade metal, not for search engines.
What we write about
Ten sections. Each one is where a question actually comes up in a deal or in working with metal, not where a keyword happens to sit.
- Grades and materials17 articles
- Weight and calculation5 articles
- Standards5 articles
- Machining5 articles
- Applications6 articles
- Customs and HS codes12 articles
- Logistics and delivery6 articles
- Exchange and deals6 articles
- Market4 articles
- Buying and selling6 articles
Articles
Chromium, nickel, molybdenum: how the elements define a grade
The composition of stainless steel using 12Х18Н10Т and AISI 304 as examples: what chromium, nickel, molybdenum and titanium are responsible for and how to read an alloy designation.
ГОСТ 9941 and 9940: stainless steel pipes
How ГОСТ 9941 and 9940 differ, how the range of stainless pipes is structured, what tests seamless and welded pipes undergo and when supply is made to ТУ.
ГОСТ standards for long products: round bar, hexagon, angle
ГОСТ 2590 and 2591 for stainless round bar, requirements for hexagon and angle, calibrated product and quality control of long steel products.
ГОСТ standards for stainless steel products: a full guide
How to read ГОСТ standards for stainless steel products: 12Х18Н10Т to ГОСТ 5632, AISI 304 to ГОСТ and grade equivalences. Types of rolled steel, ТУ, batch certificate and acceptance.
ГОСТ 5582, 7350, 19903: stainless sheet
Which ГОСТ is responsible for stainless sheet: 5582, 7350, 19903. Cold-rolled and hot-rolled sheet, rolling accuracy, acceptance and the batch certificate.
Bending stainless steel: radii and springback
How to bend stainless steel: minimum radius, springback and compensation, tooling and typical mistakes. How flexible stainless pipe differs from bent rolled steel.
FOB: what it means and where the seller's responsibility ends
The FOB delivery basis: what the term means, who pays for freight and insurance, at what point the risk passes and when FOB must not be chosen.
FCA, CPT, CIP: transitional delivery terms
FCA, CPT and CIP: where risk passes, who pays for carriage and insurance, and how these bases differ from EXW, FOB and CIF.
EXW: collection from the seller's warehouse
EXW delivery terms explained: the buyer's obligations, where the risk passes, and why FCA is more often used instead of EXW in an international trade.
Export and import of stainless steel: documents, duties, payments
Export of stainless steel from Russia: where rolled steel go, why a certificate of origin for steel products is needed, which documents are prepared and how payments are made.