Archives: Data Tools

Steel Market Update (SMU) provides quarterly housing data in regard to new home starts, building permits, new home sales, and existing home sales.

Steel Market Update follows both new orders and shipments of manufactured durable goods. Figures are converted into a 3-month-moving-average to level out peaks and troughs for erratic months.

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group, is a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately years’ prognosis into the future of non-residential construction spending activity.

The following charts displays shipment data on A/C units, warm air furnaces, and water heaters.

The chart below displays the Baker Hughes Rig Count. The active rig count acts as a leading indicator of demand for products used in drilling, completing, producing and processing hydrocarbons.

At the end of each month, SMU reviews the data compiled. While our Key Market Indicators report is an analysis of the current situation of each indicator, the Monthly Review shows the progression over the month.

The following charts show monthly U.S. raw steel production data released by the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI).

SMU gathers the latest information on steel sheet and plate inventories, available here to Premium members. Our Data providers receive an enhanced version of the Service Center Inventories Report with exclusive data.

Businesses engaged in the buying and selling of steel must understand steel gauges and tolerance ranges. These tolerances are based on a combination of standards: SMACNA, ASTM, and mill specifications.

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Laws Under the Tariff Act of 1930, U.S. industries may petition the government for relief from imports that are sold in the United States at less than fair value, or which benefit from subsidies provided through foreign government programs.

SMU compiles current mill pricing on galvanized coating extras. We have galvanized comparisons for mill extras available from the largest US and international mills.

North American steel mills have recently completed capacity additions totalling nearly 25 million tons per year of flat-rolled steel products. If you know of any new steel capacity coming online, please contact us.

Steel Market Update monitors the status of North American steel mills and the operation of their Blast Furnaces, Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF), and Basic Oxygen Furnaces (BOF).

SMU tracks North American steel mill price increase announcements on flat rolled and plate steel products.

SMU compare and balance the survey responses given both by steel manufacturer and service centers to determine if the information we are receiving about the market is accurate.

We survey service centers how their customers are releasing they inventories held on the distributor's floor. The report provides a snapshot of current and historical look at inventory trends.

We survey a combination of manufacturers, service centers, trading companies, steel mills, and toll processors as to how they are seeing current demand for their products.

We are measuring whether manufacturing companies and service centers are building, reducing or maintaining inventories. Changes can mean increased or decreased buying habits which can affect mill lead times and spot prices.

Steel Market Update surveys active steel buyers regarding whether the domestic steel mills are negotiating pricing.

We are measuring responses from buyers and sellers of flat-rolled steel in North America regarding their attitudes about their company’s ability to be successful in the current business conditions.

Twice per month, Steel Market Update surveys active steel buyers regarding the lead times they are experiencing by product: hot-rolled, cold-rolled, hot-dipped galvanized, Galvalume, and plate steels. The results provide an interesting look at changing spot pricing trends. We provide our members with several ways to interact with current and historical data using the chart and table features below.

Steel Market Update conducts out flat rolled market survey twice per month and publishes our results to our Premium members.

Thanks for your interest in learning more about SMU’s prices. Please read our comprehensive information on all aspects of pricing.

The CME Group Ferrous Metals products enable commercial producers and users of these metals to lock in margins and manage price risk. This product suite consists of outrights and options.

We consult with our steel buying sources across the country and use SMU’s proprietary steel market survey about the pricing momentum on the market.