Steel Products Prices North America
Net Imports/ Exports
Written by Peter Wright
August 12, 2013
In three months through May exports of flat products declined as those of long products remained unchanged (see graphic below).
Compared to May last year total exports were up by 311 tons. This result breaks down to flat products down 21,166 tons, longs down 29,114 tons and tubulars up 43,176 tons. In all three cases results were similar to the April y / y result. Within the flat rolled sector, plate was up by 15,670 tons and sheet products down by 36,836 tons. Digging down further into the sheet numbers reveals that hot rolled exports increased by 16,051 tons and cold rolled declined by 35,331 tons. Coated product exports were not much changed, (Table 1).
Comparing the last three months, March through May with December through February, total exports were up by 8.6 percent. By product group, flats were up by 7.5 percent, longs by 2.4 percent and tubulars by 17.4 percent. Digging down further into flat rolled to examine the sheet products shows that all sub groups experienced export growth in three months through May.
Net steel imports YTD through May totaled 4,860,425 tons compared to 4,777,020 tons in YTD through May 2012, a decline of 83,405 tons, (Table 2). On this basis net imports of long products were up by 26.7 percent, of flat products by 27.7 percent, tubulars were down by 16.7 percent and rail down by 3.1 percent. Figures 2 and 3 show imports, exports and net trade for sheet (doesn’t include plate) and long products, respectively, for the period January 2008 through May 2013. Sheet products have been drifting down all year but long products are up sharply from zero in October 2011.
The detail and analysis shown above is what we will be providing on a number of topics to our Premium customers in the new website.

Peter Wright
Read more from Peter WrightLatest in Steel Products Prices North America

Nucor slows HRC price climb with $5/ton increase
After eight weeks of double-digit price increases on hot-rolled (HR) coil, Nucor slowed the price rise this week with an increase of $5 per short ton.

Domestic CRC prices surge ahead of imports
The price spread between stateside-produced CR and imports reached its widest margin in over a year.

Evraz raises plate prices $160/ton
Evraz North America (NA) has followed Nucor and SSAB with a plate price increase of its own: up $160 per short ton (st). The increase was effective immediately for all new orders of carbon, high-strength low-alloy, and normalized and quenched-and-tempered plate products, as well as for hot-rolled coil, the steelmaker said in a letter to […]

Nucor lifts HR coil to $820/ton
Nucor has increased its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil for a fourth consecutive week.

Nucor pushes HR spot price to $790/ton
Nucor increased its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $790 per short ton (st) on Monday, Feb. 10 – a $15/st bump vs. last week. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company has raised its weekly CSP by $40/st over the past three weeks after maintaining tags at $750/st since Nov. 12, according to SMU’s […]