* GrafTech prices IPO at $15/share, well below target -source
* Brookfield nets smaller-than-expected windfall (Recasts; adds detail on GrafTech, market value)
By Joshua Franklin
April 18 (Reuters) - GrafTech International Ltd EAF.N raised $525 million in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said, netting owner Brookfield Asset Management Inc BAMa.TO a smaller-than-expected windfall.
GrafTech manufactures graphite electrodes used in the production of steel. The underwhelming IPO investor reception illustrates that concerns about the volatility of its business persist, even as steel tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump last month were expected to buoy its fortunes.
GrafTech priced its IPO at $15 per share, the source said, well below the targeted range of $21 to $24 per share. The Brooklyn Heights, New York-based company also sold only 35 million shares, slightly fewer than the 37.8 million shares originally planned. The IPO pricing gives GrafTech a market value of around $4.5 billion.
GrafTech and Brookfield declined to comment.
Brookfield bought GrafTech for around $1.3 billion, including debt in 2015, when the steel industry was struggling with a slump in prices due to record exports by China.
All of the net proceeds from the IPO will go to an affiliate of Brookfield and Brookfield Business Partners LP BBU_u.TO , GrafTech said in its IPO prospectus.
GrafTech is scheduled to make its New York Stock Exchange debut on Thursday under the symbol "EAF".
JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) JPM.N and Credit Suisse Group AG CSGN.S are the lead underwriters of the offering.