Steel Products Prices North America
Raw Steel Production Takes a Small Dip
Written by Tim Triplett
June 9, 2020
Steel mill utilization by domestic producers has remained fairly stable within a tight range in the low 50s since production was curtailed in March and April due to the coronavirus. The American Iron and Steel Institute’s weekly production data shows no signs yet of the recovering economy.
Steel production in the week ending June 6 totaled 1,195,000 net tons with the mills operating at an average utilization rate of 53.3 percent. Production was down 0.9 percent from the prior week when the utilization rate was 53.8 percent, reported AISI. The current week’s production represents a 36.0 percent decrease from the same week last year.
Adjusted year-to-date production through June 6 totaled 35,491,000 net tons at an average utilization rate of 68.6 percent–down 16.9 percent from production in the same period last year when the average utilization rate was 81.4 percent.
Following is production by district for the June 6 week: North East: 113,000 net tons; Great Lakes, 411,000 net tons; Midwest, 117,000 net tons; South, 500,000 net tons; and West, 54,000 net tons, for a total of 1,195,000 tons. Production decreased in three of the five regions by a net total of 11,000 tons.
Note: The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated. The figures are compiled from weekly production tonnage from 50 percent of the domestic producers combined with monthly production data for the remainder. Therefore, this report should be used primarily to assess production trends. The AISI monthly production report provides a more detailed summary of steel production based on data supplied by companies representing 75 percent of U.S. production capacity. Capability for second-quarter 2020 is approximately 29.1 million tons, compared to 30.3 million tons for the same period last year and 30.1 million tons for the first quarter of 2020.
Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest 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 […]