Heating and cooling equipment shipments were just over two million units in May, down 2.4 percent compared to one year ago, according to data recently released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). This is the second consecutive month that total monthly equipment shipments have declined on a year-over-year basis since September 2018. Residential […]
Steel imports into the U.S. in June potentially jumped by more than 30 percent in a comparison of May final Census data with June import license data. The final tally of June imports has not yet been released by the Commerce Department. Total steel imports in May, at around 2.1 million tons, were well below […]
Our pricing data was collected on Monday and Tuesday of this week prior to the new Nucor price increase announcement on flat rolled steel. We are seeing the market as stable to slightly higher. This week, especially in light of the second price announcement (combined totaling $80 per ton), we will be able to see […]
Last week, the domestic steel mills raised prices on hot rolled, cold rolled and coated products (galvanized, Galvalume, etc.) by approximately $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt). Since then, we have seen lead times move on hot rolled by about 1 to 1.5 weeks, according to the steel buyers canvassed yesterday and today. Cold rolled and coated […]
Steel prices dominated the industry headlines in June, falling between $60 and $85 per ton depending on the product, or roughly 10 percent. Steel Market Update received reports of deals on hot rolled steel below $500 per ton. The mills also made headlines late in the month with their announcement of a $40 per ton […]
U.S. steel imports saw a big drop in May, from unusually high levels in April, according to preliminary Census data. Total steel imports declined to less than 2.1 million tons in May from more than 3.3 million tons in the prior month. Imports were down significantly from April in all product categories except for Galvalume. […]
The U.S. active rotary rig count, an indicator of oil country tubular goods demand, remained steady this week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of active U.S. rigs remained the same at 967, with oil rigs up 4, gas rigs down 4, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. Compared to this time last year, […]
Flat rolled and plate steel prices tumbled again this week. The question now: Is this the last drop we will see as the domestic steel mills have stepped forward and announced price increases to the tune of $40 per ton? Base prices for benchmark hot rolled were beginning to pass through the psychological $500 per […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic hot rolled coil prices (FOB domestic mills). We want our readers to be aware that this is only a “theoretical” calculation as freight costs, trader margin and other costs […]
After a few weeks of dynamic price drops on all flat rolled and plate products, we saw prices moderate this week. Maybe a better way to put it is prices were flat to down slightly compared to one week ago when we saw major reductions in the spot numbers. Here is how we see prices […]
Halfway through the month, imports of foreign steel into the United States are trending considerably higher in June, based on license data from the Commerce Department. If import licenses continue at the current rate, June steel imports could approach 3 million tons—up from an estimated 2.6 million tons in May and the 12-month average of […]
Total U.S. raw steel production in the month of April declined 4.3 percent to 8,109,241 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. Although down over the prior month, the April production level remains strong in comparison to recent months. Also remember that the March production level was the highest seen in […]
The U.S. active rotary rig count, an indicator of oil country tubular goods demand, decreased this week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of active U.S. rigs fell by 6 to 969, with oil rigs down 1 and gas rigs down 5. Compared to this time last year, the 969 count is […]
Heating and cooling equipment shipments totaled 1.75 million units in April, down 0.1 percent compared to one year ago, according to data recently released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). This is the first month that total monthly equipment shipments have declined on a year-over-year basis since September 2018. Residential and commercial storage […]
U.S. steel exports in April totaled 602,652 net tons (546,717 metric tons), up 2.3 percent from March, but down 30.0 percent from levels one year ago. This is the fifth lowest monthly export level seen in Steel Market Update’s 10-year history, behind December 2018 at 519,099 tons, September 2018 at 584,858 tons, March 2019 at […]
April apparent steel supply was calculated at 9,662,760 net tons, according to data released earlier this week. Apparent steel supply is determined by adding domestic steel shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then subtracting total U.S. steel exports. April apparent steel supply saw a 166,538 ton or 1.7 percent decrease compared to the same month […]
Last week I spoke with Mark Millett, CEO of SDI, and he said to me, “Crazy market, isn’t it?” That is proving to be an understatement. Our price indices took major hits this week as we saw prices drop across the board. We heard the drop was blamed on scrap, on short lead times, on […]
This first estimate of U.S. steel imports for June shows foreign purchases trending further downward. The rate of Commerce Department import licenses, extrapolated out through the end of the month, forecasts total steel imports of less than 2.5 million tons in June, well below the average of around 2.7 million tons. Steel imports spiked in […]
U.S. steel imports appear to have declined in May from the big jump in April, based on a preliminary total of May license data from the Commerce Department. Semi-finished imports dropped sharply, from 1.3 million tons in April to 697,000 tons in May as domestic steelmakers worked down their supplies of foreign slabs. Imports totaling […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic hot rolled coil prices (FOB domestic mills). We want our readers to be aware that this is only a “theoretical” calculation as freight costs, trader margin and other costs […]
Steel buyers are hoping the market will find a bottom soon, but it did not happen in the past week. Steel Market Update data indicates that hot rolled and cold rolled both saw further declines averaging around $10 per ton. Plate prices saw a small increase. Here is how we see prices this week: Hot […]
Steel Market Update’s Steel Buyers Sentiment Index dipped below the +50 mark and continued to erode last month as the uncertainty over tariffs and trade had a negative effect on buyers’ attitudes. With OEM and service center executives feeling less positive about their prospects for the next few months, as indicated by SMU Future Buyers […]
The U.S. active rotary rig count, an indicator of oil country tubular goods demand, increased this week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of active U.S. rigs rose by 1 to 984, with oil rigs up 3 and gas rigs down 2. Compared to this time last year, the 984 count is […]
Chinese steel trade data was recently released for the month of April 2019, providing updated data on iron ore imports, scrap imports, and flat rolled imports and exports. Chinese imports of iron ore in April totaled 80,770,000 metric tons, a decrease of 6.5 percent from the previous month, and a decrease of 2.6 percent from […]
U.S. steel imports saw a big jump in April, based on preliminary license data from the Commerce Department. Total imports appear to have topped 3.3 million tons, largely due to nearly 1.3 million tons of semi-finished imports. The figures suggest that domestic steelmakers tripled their purchases of foreign slabs in April compared with March. Final […]
Prices declined further on all types of steel products in the past week, according to Steel Market Update sources. Demand appears soft as buyers wait to see if import offers pick up now that President Trump has cut tariffs on Canada, Mexico and Turkey. Here is how we see prices this week: Hot Rolled Coil: […]
The following calculation is used by Steel Market Update to identify the theoretical spread between foreign hot rolled steel prices (delivered to U.S. ports) and domestic hot rolled coil prices (FOB domestic mills). We want our readers to be aware that this is only a “theoretical” calculation as freight costs, trader margin and other costs […]
Steel prices declined yet again this week with some hot rolled offers falling below the $600 per ton level, according to Steel Market Update data. The market will be watching intently in the coming weeks to see if imports from Canada and Mexico add to the downward price pressure, now that President Trump has removed […]
U.S. steel imports are trending a bit lower in May after a significant jump in April, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of Commerce Department license data. With about 10 days left in the month, it appears May imports will approach 2.7 million tons, down from approximately 2.9 million tons in April. May imports are […]
The U.S. active rotary rig count, an indicator of oil country tubular goods demand, decreased this week, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The number of active U.S. rigs fell by 1 to 987, with oil rigs down 3 and gas rigs up 2. Compared to this time last year, the 987 count is […]