Category: Scrap Prices North America

The US scrap market for October is a bit unsettled as the UAW strike against the Big Three automotive companies has expanded and shows scant signs of an imminent settlement.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has more leverage than the Detroit Three automakers in the current strike that started Sept. 15, according to Jason Schenker, president of Prestige Economics.

The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and prime scrap prices continued to narrow this month, according to Steel Market Update’s most recent pricing data.

Leading voices in US the scrap industry discussed the current outlook and future challenges at Steel Summit 2023’s panel on Scrap and Metallics: Navigating the Boom in EAF Sheet Production.

The US scrap market showed some stability in August, with prices mostly sideways on busheling and shredded grades, and HMS prices ticking up from the previous month, sources said.

Sheet prices were mixed this week with hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized base prices slipping again even as cold-rolled tags inched up.

August could see US scrap prices stabilizing, or even rising, depending on the grade or region, scrap sources told SMU.

Schnitzer Steel Industries has changed its corporate name to Radius Recycling. The Portland, Ore.-based scrap recycler and long steel producer said on Wednesday it’s part of a rebranding initiative to reflect the company’s “vision, purpose, and impact on the global economy.” “While metals recycling and steel manufacturing have been the foundation of our global business for […]

Domestic scrap prices fell for busheling and shredded grades in July, while tags were mostly sideways to slightly up on heavy melting scrap, sources said. “Between tight scrap supplies, slightly better-than-expected domestic demand in the South and Ohio Valley, and relatively stable export pricing, the market trended sideways for obsolete grades in those regions as well […]

Join us for SMU’s next Community Chat webinar with Wolfe Research managing director Timna Tanners. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 12, at 11 am ET. It’s free for all to attend. A recording will be available to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about what Tanners describes as “the myth […]

New orders for manufactured durable goods increased for the third consecutive month in May, increasing 1.7%  from the previous month to $288.2 billion, according to the US Census Bureau. This follows a 1.2% month-over-month (MoM) gain in April, according to Census data. Transportation equipment is also up three consecutive months, up 3.9% to $102.6 billion. The bureau said that […]

Companies should keep a watchful eye on pricing and lead times, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) speaking on the June 27 meeting of its Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. During May’s meeting, most HARDI participants thought that prices would continue to drop. Over half of the individuals thought it […]

Metallics prices have fallen in most global markets over the last month, driven by weak steel demand and improved metallics supply. Lower finished steel prices and EAF margins have weighed heavily on metallics prices across major markets. Scrap bids from key buyers have reduced further amid ample availability, while recent pig iron price cuts have […]

Domestic scrap prices continued to tumble this month on soft demand and strong inbound scrap flows, but the market could come into balance in July, sources said. “After this more-than-expected drop in prices for June, the market next month should be sideways at worst,” one source said. He noted that the export market remains firm and […]

On May 28, current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the Turkish presidential election in the runoff with 52.1% of the vote. We therefore expect the Turkish economy to maintain its current unorthodox macroeconomic course with a relatively loose monetary policy, although inflation is enormously high.  The New Turkish Economic Model The Turkish economy, including […]

June is expected to be a weaker month for scrap prices, but there is still a lot of uncertainty, especially with the Turkish elections set for Sunday, according to scrap market sources. “The mood is generally bearish, but I think the bears are a little too far out over their skis with the prognostications for […]

In the race to lower emissions, both steel companies and countries are promoting greater use of domestic scrap, but this approach has two key weaknesses. Firstly, using more steel scrap in one country will have no impact on global carbon emissions – it will simply see scrap use move from one country to another. Secondly, […]

Scrap price falls have continued, now affecting all major markets. Previously, the market weakness was due to macroeconomic concerns but is now due to weak steel demand. Turkish scrap buying has been underwhelming, while Chinese scrap consumption has been reeling back as the steel outlook turns sour. Poor Steel Demand and Production Weigh on Scrap […]

US scrap prices fell across the board in May, and expectations are that June could move lower still on weaker global demand. “Domestic demand was generally decent aside from several mills in the Ohio Valley that had substantially reduced buy programs,” one scrap source said. “Ironically, Ohio is still home to the strongest ferrous scrap market […]

Domestic scrap prices are expected to fall in May, market sources told SMU. “Despite decent domestic demand, the recent and apparently continuing drop in the global scrap price will pressure US prices in May,” one market source said. “The global market for finished steel and semis is oversupplied, and Turkish demand is in a holding […]

Turkish scrap import prices continued to fall last week. Subsequently CRU’s assessed Turkish scrap price for HMS1/2 80:20 is $415 per metric ton FOB Turkish port, down $11 per metric ton week-on-week and $28 per metric ton month-on-month. This is based on several deals concluded before and sooner after the Eid holidays. Turkish scrap deals […]

Manufacturing business activity increased for the first time in New York state in five months, according to the latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey taken between April 3-10. The New York Fed’s Empire state headline general business conditions index jumped 35 points month-over-month to 10.8, as new orders and shipments rose as well. The survey’s new orders […]

Hot-rolled coil prices marked a third consecutive week of very modest gains amid questions about whether the market was at or near a peak. Steel Market Update’s hot-rolled coil prices stands at $1,160 per ton ($58 per cwt), up $5 per ton from last week. HRC prices have risen only $20 per ton since March […]

US steel mill shipments declined 3.2% in February vs. January, and were off 4.4% from February 2022, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported on Wednesday. Domestic steel mills shipped 6,917,842 net tons in February, compared with 7,148,270 tons in January and 7,232,679 tons in the same month a year earlier. AISI said that shipments […]

A plume of orange smoke was reported over the weekend at US Steel’s Gary Works in Indiana, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana (NWI). The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is investigating the incident, according to NWI. No production issues were associated with the situation, a spokesperson for the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker told SMU. “We are […]

Directors of Canadian miner Teck Resources have unanimously turned down what it described as an “opportunistic acquisition proposal” from Glencore. The offer values the Canadian miner at around US$23 billion (€21 bn). Glencore made the move soon after Teck announced first copper production from the QB2 expansion at Quebrada Blanca, Chile. Teck’s CEO Jonathan Price […]

The percentage of steel buyers finding mills willing to negotiate prices slipped below 25% this week, according to SMU data.  Across the products surveyed by SMU, cold rolled took the largest tumble, falling 10 percentage points to 19% of respondents saying mills were willing to talk price.   Every two weeks, SMU asks steel buyers whether domestic mills are […]

The General Motors Co. (GM) recently recognized its top suppliers at its annual Supplier of the Year event in San Antonio, Texas. The Supplier of the Year award honors outstanding international suppliers who exceed GM’s requirements. Among the award winners were steelmakers Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Nucor Corp., and Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN). “We are thrilled to […]

Existing home sales rebounded in February from January, swinging positive for the first time in 13 months, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, all four major regions in the US registered year-over-year (YoY) drops, though month-on-month (MoM) sales were up among the four regions, NAR said. Sales of existing homes surged 14.5% […]

More than three-quarters of US metro areas added construction jobs year-over-year (YoY) through January, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) figures. Despite the employment boost, construction firms struggled to find enough qualified workers to hire, the report said. The report cautioned that projects may stall or be canceled altogether if contractors lack an […]