Plate Report: Market Participants Predict Lower Prices Ahead

US plate prices have changed little over the past several weeks, and Nucor’s latest price notice – a sideways move – might mean demand is not as robust as recently as mid-April, according to market participants contacted by SMU.

The most recent mill increase came from Nucor on April 19, when the steelmaker aimed to increase the base price for steel plate by at least $40 per ton ($2 per cwt). Since then there’s been little movement, and we’ve seen prices come down slightly on reports of discounting.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.