ArcelorMittal has joined the effort initiated by Cleveland-Cliffs to increase spot prices for steel sheet by at least another $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). The move is effective immediately for material from AM/NS Calvert, the steelmaker’s joint venture mill in Alabama with Japan’s Nippon Steel. “We reserve the right to modify any outstanding quotations,” […]
Mill Steel Co. has acquired Cleveland Metal Exchange (CME) and Chicago Stainless Metal Exchange. A full line of stainless steel and aluminum products is now available through the Mill Steel Stainless and Aluminum division led by former CME CEO, Randy Horvat, and president, Jeff Haas. “We are thrilled to be entering the stainless and aluminum […]
North American auto assemblies declined 13.8% in December, slowing down for the second straight month. Last month’s assembly output was the second-lowest total in 2022 and just 3.4% higher year on year (YoY), according to LMC Automotive data. December finished as the third consecutive month at more than one million units. Though inventories have improved, the […]
SSAB Americas has announced plans to increase plate prices by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). The price hike applies equally to as-rolled, normalized, quenched-and-tempered, and wide cut-to-length plate products. It is effective immediately on all new, non-contract orders confirmed to ship the week of March 5 or later, the company said in […]
Sheet prices continued to inch upward this week as market participants debated whether a third round of price increases from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. would gain traction. Those who thought the $50-per-ton price hike would stick pointed to higher scrap costs, solid demand, and new capacity still struggling to ramp up. Those who questioned whether the increases […]
US heating and cooling equipment shipments declined further in November, according to recently released data from the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Total shipments in November were 1.768 million units, 6% less than October levels and down 6% compared with the same month last year. November represents the lowest shipment rate recorded in […]
Business activity in the state of New York fell in January, reaching its lowest level since the early days of the pandemic, according to data from the Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The New York Fed’s Empire State headline general business conditions index — a gauge of manufacturing activity in the state — plunged from -11.2 […]
Two Democratic senators have asked that imports of downstream grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) products be hit with Section 232 national security tariffs. Senators Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) and Bob Casey (D., Pa.) sent a letter to the US Commerce Department on Jan. 12 to address this issue. Section 232 tariffs of 25% on imported steel were […]
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to remove duties on Brazilian hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, and plate. Once might be a coincidence. But three times? That’s a trend. The question now: Is this a big-picture shift in US trade policy toward Brazil? Or is it instead more a matter of inside baseball at the […]
Moving goods from one location to another may seem simple enough. But as we’ve seen in the past few years, it’s not always that easy. Fortunately, there are experts like Anton Posner, CEO of The Mercury Group, who take on the chaos of transportation. The Mercury Group is a consulting firm that specializes in global […]
Let’s just clear the air of any confusion here. It looks like Nucor’s price increase – $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) – announced earlier this week was a catch-up to an increase of the same amount announced by Cleveland-Cliffs in mid-December. Assuming that’s the case, we’ve had two rounds of price increases since Thanksgiving. […]
Scrap market prices increased in January month over month on poor flows in December and surging export demand, according to scrap executives. “Obsolete flows are down seasonally, and export prices have shown dramatic increases over the last month,” one scrap executive said. He said Detroit mills entered the market last week at prices up $60 per gross […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
By now, anyone who works in the steel industry understands how important sustainability is. Steel is the most recycled material in the world, and recycled steel is a prominent ingredient in electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking. Steel Market Update’s final Spotlight of 2022 gets into sustainability with Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), […]
We’re less than one month away from the Tampa Steel Conference. The event will be at the Tampa Marriott Water Street hotel again, so mark your calendar for Sunday-Tuesday, Feb. 5-7. There are nearly 375 attendees registered, and the list is growing daily. Keep in mind that this is the high season for tourism in Florida, and […]
The Dodge Momentum Index registered 222.2 in December, up 6.6% from 208.3 in November, according to data and analytics from the Dodge Construction Network. Dodge is the leading index for commercial real estate, using the data of planned nonresidential building projects to track spending in the sector for the next 12 months. For December, the index’s […]
Nucor plans to increase base prices for all new orders of steel sheet by $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). The price hike is effective immediately, the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Monday, Jan. 9. “We reserve the right to review and re-quote any offers that are not confirmed with […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at SteelMarketUpdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
Canadian drilling rig numbers have made a post-holiday rebound, while working rigs in the US declined, according to data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of oil and gas rigs in operation is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of demand for oil country tubular goods (OCTG), a key […]
Steel mill lead times increased again this week, extending by an average of 0.6 weeks across all five products we track. You may recall that lead times for hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products were at or near multi-year lows in our late November market check. Lead times have increased an average of 0.9 weeks compared […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. posted a net loss in its first quarter of fiscal 2023 on lower demand and lower average selling prices for recycled metals and finished steel products. The Portland, Ore.-based scrap recycler and long steel producer recorded a net loss of $18 million in its fiscal Q1 ended Nov. 30, 2022. That’s […]
Steel mills are less willing to negotiate prices as we enter into the new year. With the exception of Galvalume, all of the products SMU surveyed remained more fixed in price compared with the last market check two weeks ago, and a far cry from early November of last year. In fact, the plate market […]
Steel Manufacturers Association president Philip K. Bell will be the featured speaker on the next SMU Community Chat on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 11 a.m. ET. You can register here. SMA is the leading voice of the electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking industry in Washington, D.C., which means Bell is ideally suited to discuss important policy […]
Evraz North America (NA) is transitioning to a new general contractor for its rail mill under construction in Pueblo, Colo. “Construction will continue with a new general contractor in place to ensure the overall safety, quality, and timeliness of the project,” Evraz NA SVP David Ferryman said in a statement. “The work is not going […]
Sheet prices entered 2023 moving upward on expectations of higher prime scrap prices, and on a modest uptick in activity as some buyers looked to get ahead of anticipated higher steel prices as well. The gains also came on the heels of a price increase of $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) initiated last month […]
The number of active Canadian drilling rigs dropped for the second week in a row, while rigs in the US stayed the same, according to data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of oil and gas rigs in operation is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of demand for […]
With 2022 now in the past, the door has closed on one of the most volatile years for the aluminum industry. Supply chain disruptions as a residual fallout from Covid-19 and elevated levels of geopolitical risk raised uncertainty throughout the value chain. The shift in import trends has also been a major topic and is […]
Olympic Steel Inc. has acquired Wichita, Kan.-based Metal-Fab Inc. for $131 million. The company said Metal-Fab, which manufactures venting and filtration products for residential, commercial, and industrial applications, will continue to operate under the same name, led by Mark Ohm, president. “It provides us with a solid platform for accelerating growth in two target market […]
Steel Market Update is taking some time off for Christmas and the New Year. Our last issue of 2022 will be published on Thursday, Dec. 22. Our offices will be closed the week of Dec. 26-30, as well as on Monday, Jan. 2. In addition, we will not update prices on Tuesday, Dec. 27. We […]
Steel mill lead times increased again this week, extending by an average of 0.3 weeks across all five products we track. Recall that lead times for hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products were at or near multi-year lows in our late November market check. Lead times have increased an average of 0.8 weeks compared to levels […]