Steel Products Prices North America
Steel Import Data is Back
Written by Brett Linton
January 31, 2019
The U.S. Department of Commerce released import license data through the month of December 2018 earlier this week. The December license data is showing a large reduction in semi-finished imports (mostly slabs going to domestic steel mills). SMU believes the lower slab numbers may be due to quotas from Brazil having been reached, thus capping what was being allowed to come in. We believe the January slab numbers will be quite high as the quotas open back up for 1st Quarter 2019. We also saw a reduction in finished steels. Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) imports were much lower than the 12-month and 3-month moving averages. Galvanized imports were down as was Galvalume and cut plate. It will be interesting to see what the January numbers look like when the data is finally available from the USDOC.
To see an interactive history of total steel imports (through October final data), visit our website here. If you need assistance logging into or navigating the website, please contact info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest 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 […]