Following is an edited excerpt of a new monthly publication, “The GOES Chronicle,” from Steel-Insights. For further details, contact Becky E. Hites at becky.hites@steel-insights.com. Production of Grain Oriented Electrical Steel (GOES) has undergone a tectonic shift in the past decade. The market historically has been supplied through a controlled group of companies protected from outside […]
U.S. raw steel production for the week ending Dec. 16 totaled 1,698,000 net tons, a 5.7 percent increase from the same period last year, but up 1.6 percent from the prior week. The mill capability utilization rate for the week averaged 72.8 percent, up from 71.7 percent the prior week and 67.8 percent the prior […]
Ratner Steel’s new Osceola, Ark., service center may be located near Big River Steel, but Big River is only one of the mills Ratner plans to use as a source for steel, said Steve Gottlieb, Ratner president and COO. “People think we will only do business with Big River, but our intention is to buy […]
For better or worse, depending on your income and situation, it looks like President Trump and the Republicans will win a big political victory with passage of their historic tax overhaul this week. No doubt, there will be a shakeout period during which the many complicated details of the measure will be scrutinized, and their […]
Ratner Steel has purchased a new 5/8th-inch 76-inch-wide stretcher leveler from Red Bud Industries for its Osceola, Ark., service center, to be delivered in fourth-quarter 2018. “We are very excited with this new opportunity,” said Mark Ratner, owner and CEO. “Our belief is that this region of the country has significant potential for a flat […]
In theory, the nation’s highways should be safer come Monday. Dec. 18 is the deadline for trucking companies to equip their vehicles with electronic logging devices. The ELDs are meant to reduce fatigue-related accidents by preventing drivers from fudging their time behind the wheel in violation of hours-of-service restrictions. As a practical matter, there will […]
Olympic Steel has signed a new $400 million credit agreement that gives the service center additional resources for future growth. “The increased borrowing capacity and more favorable terms provided by this agreement underscore the confidence our lenders have in our business. The low-cost capital structure enhances our flexibility and positions us well for both internal […]
The latest Steel Market Update news briefs: • Olympic Steel has signed a new $400 million credit agreement that gives the service center additional resources for future growth. “The increased borrowing capacity and more favorable terms provided by this agreement underscore the confidence our lenders have in our business. The low-cost capital structure enhances our […]
With mill order books extending into February on some products, most domestic steel producers have announced price increases. Steel Market Update sees steel prices moving higher for the next 30-60 days. The steel plate mills were the first to go last week, adding $50 per ton ($2.50/cwt) to the base price of plate steel. SSAB […]
U.S. raw steel production for the week ending Dec. 9 totaled 1,672,000 net tons, a 4.0 percent increase from the same period last year, but down 2.8 percent from the prior week. The mill capability utilization rate for the week averaged 71.7 percent, down from 73.8 percent the prior week and 67.8 percent the prior […]
AK Steel was the latest mill to climb on the price-hike bandwagon with its announcement yesterday of a $30 per ton increase on spot market base prices for all carbon flat-rolled steel product, effective immediately on new orders. AK Steel’s move follows on similar announcements in the past several days from other leading steelmakers, including […]
USS-POSCO is the latest flat roll mill to announce a price increase. In a letter to customers today, the mill said that, effective immediately, it is raising base prices on all sheet products by a minimum of the following: Hot Rolled P&O, $30 per net ton; Cold Rolled, $30 per net ton; and Galvanized, $30.00 […]
Domestic mills are in the driver’s seat and steel prices have nowhere to go but up, agreed most respondents to Steel Market Update’s flat roll market trends questionnaire this week. SMU contacts steel buyers twice each month to monitor their views on market conditions. Asked for their opinion on the current direction of steel prices, […]
ArcelorMittal, California Steel Industries, NLMK USA and U.S. Steel all announced $30 per ton price increases on Friday. Their announcements follow on a similar hike by Nucor earlier this week. In a letter to customers, U.S. Steel’s North American Flat-Rolled Sales Organization stated that, effective immediately, it was increasing base pricing for all new flat-rolled […]
On the heels of Wednesday’s $50 per ton increase on carbon plate prices, Nucor today announced an additional $30 per ton increase on hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized steel products. In a letter to customers, Nucor’s Sheet Mill Group said the price increases are effective immediately on new and unconfirmed orders. SSAB Americas and […]
Current and future sentiment among flat rolled steel buyers ticked up a bit in the past two weeks, according to the Steel Market Update Steel Buyers Sentiment Index. The same pattern started to appear at this time last year, leading into a strong first quarter. The SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index measures changes in buyers’ […]
The Commerce Department’s Vietnam circumvention ruling on Tuesday represents a departure in the U.S. government’s interpretation of what constitutes adding “minor or insignificant” value to a product. This is a key issue in determining whether importation of a product from a country not directly subject to a trade remedy amounts to a “circumvention” of existing […]
In separate notices to customers today, SSAB Americas, Nucor and ArcelorMittal USA announced their intentions to raise steel plate transaction prices by $50 per ton. This new announcement means the domestic plate producers have raised prices by $130 per ton ($6.50/cwt) over the past 30 days. SSAB Americas said it is raising transaction prices by […]
Mill lead times have seen little change in the past month, according to the latest data from Steel Market Update’s flat roll market questionnaire, despite the price hikes announced by the mills two weeks ago. One of the key indicators tracked by SMU, lead times reflect the activity at the mills and the order levels […]
Buyers of flat rolled steel report that domestic steel mills are tightening up negotiations a bit on spot pricing, especially on cold rolled and coated products, as would be expected following the price increases announced two weeks ago. But the majority report that mills are still generally open to price discussions as the year comes […]
Dan DiMicco, former CEO of Nucor Corp., has been appointed to a four-year term as a member of President Trump’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, the White House announced in a Dec. 4 release. DiMicco, who retired from Nucor, is a former trade advisor to the Trump campaign and serves as chairman of […]
Dan DiMicco, former CEO of Nucor Corp., has been appointed to a four-year term as a member of President Trump’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, the White House announced in a Dec. 4 release. DiMicco, who retired from Nucor, is a former trade advisor to the Trump campaign and serves as chairman of […]
Galvanized steel prices are on the way up for customers of Steel Dynamics, which was the latest mill to announce an increase in its coating extras due to the high price of zinc, which traded at nearly $1.43 per pound yesterday. SDI’s new extras schedule is effective on orders acknowledged for delivery beginning Jan. 1. […]
U.S. raw steel production for the week ending Dec. 2 totaled 1,720,000 net tons, a 7.8 percent increase from the same period last year, and up 1.0 percent from the prior week. The mill capability utilization rate for the week averaged 73.8 percent, up from 73.0 percent the prior week and 67.3 percent the prior […]
Recent price increases on prime steel have pulled secondary steel prices up along with them, challenging distributors to pass the added cost along to their customers. Secondary steel products include coils that have defects or otherwise fail to meet the specs of the original buyer, but may be suitable for other uses. “Our volume has […]
The U.S. employment situation in November was excellent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) net job creation report released on Friday. While employment was down by 14,000 jobs from October, it was still the third best month of the year and in agreement with the other data streams tracked by Steel Market Update. […]
Except for a few flat rolled steel mills that have not yet completely filled their December order books, most steel producers are holding firm on steel pricing in anticipation of good demand in the first quarter. The result is we are seeing two distinct pricing markets – those who have December tons and are willing […]
U.S. raw steel production for the week ending Nov. 25 totaled 1,703,000 net tons, a 7.0 percent increase from the same period last year, but down 2.4 percent from the prior week. The mill capability utilization rate for the week averaged 73.0 percent, down from 74.9 percent the prior week but up from 67.1 percent […]
It’s not that unusual anymore to find a service center that has taken its value-added offerings as far as first-stage parts manufacturing. Less common is a toll processor that offers fabrication. Mississippi Steel Processing (MSP) is located on the campus of Steel Dynamics’ mill in Columbus, Miss. For the past two years, it has shared the […]
Keith Gunter, Vice President of Purchasing at McElroy Metal (and a part-time poet) shares his annual special holiday retrospective on the past year and his wishes for a prosperous 2018 for all. T’was soon to be Christmas, when all through the land, Pricing ought to be stable, wouldn’t that be so grand. During the fourth […]