JSW Steel (USA) Inc. has launched the second phase of a $260 million project aimed at refurbishing its plate mill in Baytown, Texas. The upgrades will allow the Baytown mill to better compete in on- and offshore wind tower, agriculture, construction and storage tank markets as well as in other sectors for which surface finish […]
U.S. Steel has resumed production at its Big River Steel electric arc furnace (EAF) sheet mill in Osceola, Ark., following a two-week maintenance outage last month, a company spokeswoman said. The outage had commenced on Oct. 10. SMU has updated its EAF status table to reflect the change. Big River Steel has annual capacity of […]
U.S. mill CEOs generally praised the tariff rate quota (TRQ) agreement reached with the EU. But they stressed that enforcement would be key to its success. The United Kingdom, Japan and countries that have hard quotas – such as South Korea – are places that come to mind when one thinks of where a deal might […]
U.S. Steel has completed or has nearly completed two blast furnace outages, a company spokeswoman confirmed. But furnaces that have been idled will remain so, the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker’s top executive said. U.S. Steel has completed an approximately one-week outage on the B blast furnace at its Granite City Works outside of St. Louis, the spokeswoman […]
The tariff-rate quota, or TRQ, replacing Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the European Union will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, per details of the agreement released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). A 25% tariff will be still applied after the quota limit – 3.3 million […]
Algoma Steel Group Inc. and Triple M Metal LP have formed a joint venture – ATM Metals Inc. – to source prime scrap and other iron units for the Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker. The tie up between Triple M, one of North America’s largest private scrap recyclers, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based Algoma comes as the latter is […]
We’re all on the same price roller coaster, and that’s true whether we’re talking steel, plastic or wood. But we’re not all on the same car – and so your impression of the market might be vastly different if you’re in the front car instead of the back one. That’s the impression I got while speaking […]
The U.S. and the European Union (EU) could reach a deal that would lead to the removal Section 232 tariffs from steel imports from the trade bloc as soon as this weekend, according to sources familiar with the matter. The two sides would most likely agree to a tariff rate quota, or TRQ, which would replace […]
Evraz steel sales dropped in the third quarter as a strong showing from its North American operations only partially offset weaker demand as well as logistics and maintenance issues in Russia. The sales drop in Russia resulted in part from a slowdown in the local construction market. It also stemmed from bad weather and difficulty […]
Domestic mills plan to announce higher zinc coating extras as soon as this week, according to market participants. The higher coating extras would be effective Jan. 1, 2022, they said. At least two domestic mills have also confirmed that extras will move higher. Zinc is used to make galvanized products. It prevents rust. Zinc prices […]
I thought I’d be writing today that Steel Market Update had switched all its steel pricing momentum indicators to lower. But what you think should happen and what reality serves up are sometimes very different things. Hot-rolled coil prices continued to fall – they’re down $25 per ton compared to last week. That’s not a surprise. […]
Swedish steelmaker SSAB posted record earnings again in the third quarter thanks in part to sharply higher plate prices in North America. But while North American demand is expected to remain strong in the fourth quarter, that in Europe is anticipated to soften because of the automotive chip shortage – which has dented vehicle production on […]
Mexican flat-rolled steelmaker Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) has restarted its hot strip mill after a planned two-week outage, a company spokesman said. The mill has been up and running since last week, he said. The company confirmed the outage at the beginning of October. AHMSA’s hot strip mill has annual capacity of 2.8 million […]
SSAB Americas has followed competitor Nucor in raising prices for steel plate by $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). The price hike is effective immediately for all new spot orders, the Mobile, Ala.-based steelmaker said in letters to customers on Monday, Oct. 25 The increase is $60 per ton CAD for customers in Canada. It applies […]
SMU’s next Community Chat webinar will feature Mike Del Giudice, a principal with the Crowe consulting group. Del Giudice will share his expertise in cybersecurity. The free webinar begins at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Click here to register. Why should you care about cyber? Because ransomware is one of the […]
SMU’s next Community Chat webinar will feature Mike Del Giudice, a principal with the Crowe consulting group. Del Giudice will share his expertise in cybersecurity. The free webinar begins at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Click here to register. Why should you care about cyber? Because ransomware is one of the […]
Nucor Corp. in a leading move has increased plate prices by $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) with the opening of its December orderbook. The increase – announced on Friday, Oct. 22 and effective immediately – is equal across all plate products. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker had in prior months increase prices for quenched-and-tempered plate […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has restarted the No. 7 blast furnace at its Indiana Harbor steel mill in northwest Indiana following a reline. “We just concluded the repair of Indiana Harbor No. 7. … We finished 24 hours ahead of schedule,” company Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Gonvalves said during a conference call with analysts on Friday, […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s earnings skyrocketed higher in the third quarter, and the steelmaker predicted that higher priced contract deals would protect it from any slip in spot prices in future quarters. The Cleveland-based steelmaker recorded net income of $1.28 billion in the third quarter of 2021, up from a mere $2 million in the same quarter […]
Nucor Corp. plans to take a 25-day outage at its Gallatin sheet mill in Ghent., Ky., for final equipment installation for a hot-rolled capacity expansion there. The outage will begin on Nov. 23. Once it is completed, the new electric-arc furnace (EAF) and related equipment will be commissioned, company executives said during an earnings conference […]
The U.S. will “move away” from Section 232 tariffs on steel from the European Union, Nucor’s top executive said. “What the final outcome looks like – whether it’s a tariff rate quota, we’ll wait and see,” Leon Topalian, president and CEO of the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker, said during a conference call with analysts on Thursday. […]
Nucor Corp. smashed its quarterly earnings record in the third quarter with profits on par with those for the entire year of 2018 – another good year for steel. And the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker, North America’s largest, thinks the string of record profits – the prior record was the second quarter of this year – […]
ThyssenKrupp Materials Services plans to build a greenfield service center on the campus of Steel Dynamics Inc.’s new steel mill in Sinton, Texas. The new location is part of a nearly $82 million (€70 million) North American expansion plan launched by the service center and distribution wing of the Essen, Germany-based steel company. Approximately $33 […]
Algoma Steel shares began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) on Wednesday under the ticker symbol “ASTL.” The development follows an initial public offering (IPO) made possible by a merger between the Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker and New York-based Legato, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The deal resulted in […]
Steel Market Update has adjusted our steel pricing momentum indicator for hot-rolled coil lower. That’s not something we’ve done since July 21, 2020 – and it’s not a decision we took lightly. But the evidence is hard to ignore. Our hot rolled coil price now stands at $1,910 per ton ($95.50 per cwt), down $10 per ton […]
Algoma Steel’s initial public offering (IPO) is around the corner following shareholder approval of a deal between the Canadian steelmaker and Legato Merger Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) The merger between the New York-based SPAC and privately held Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based Algoma is expected to close this week, an Algoma spokeswoman said. […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) posted yet another new quarterly profit record on record-high flat-rolled steel prices. And the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker thinks that the record times could roll into the fourth quarter as well. “Domestic steel demand remains solid in our automotive, construction, and industrial end markets. We believe this […]
Nucor Corp. has taken a planned outage at is direct-reduced iron (DRI) plant in Trinidad. “As it’s planned, we do not anticipate any impact on production,” a spokeswoman for the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said. Nucor did not specify when the Trinidad outage started or how long it might last. The issue will probably be discussed […]
Service center executive Michael Lerman of Steel Warehouse will be the featured speaker during Steel Market Update’s next SMU Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT). Lerman is the president of Steel Warehouse, a private, family-owned service center chain – one of the largest of its kind in […]
Sajjan Jindal, managing director of Indian steelmaker JSW Steel Ltd., has been elected chairman of the World Steel Association. Jindal’s term runs through 2022. He replaces past World Steel Association Chairman Yu Yong, president of Chinese steelmaker HBIS Group. “Governments and policy makers have come to realize that in order to rebuild their economies, they […]