Electric arc furnace minimills may have a cost advantage in steel production today, but there are still 19 traditional blast furnaces going strong in the United States. Blast furnaces dominate about three-fourths of global steelmaking, but only three steel producers in the U.S. currently are using BF or basic oxygen furnace technology: U.S. Steel, ArcelorMittal […]
After a month of small increases, steel mill capacity utilization dipped last week to 80.2 percent. The mills have still kept production above the benchmark 80 percent level for the past five weeks, since the week ending July 6. Raw steel production for the week ending Aug. 10 totaled 1,867,000 net tons, a decrease of […]
Total U.S. raw steel production in the month of June declined 4.1 percent to 7,984,988 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. This is the first time monthly production levels have dipped under eight million tons since February 2019. Although down over the previous month, June production is only slightly below […]
Nearly 1,000 executives are registered with just two weeks to go before the start of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We continue to see strong interest in this year’s event, which will be held in Atlanta on Aug. 26-28. Once again, the Georgia International Convention Center will be the home of this, our 9th […]
The trade war with China escalated on Monday as China allowed its currency to weaken in retaliation for a new round of tariffs imposed by President Trump. The yuan fell to 7 per U.S. dollar, the lowest it has been in 11 years, making exports from China cheaper and more competitive versus the United States. […]
Steel mill capacity utilization has been inching upward for the past month and registered 81.5 percent in the week ending Aug. 3 as the domestic mills benefit from higher steel prices. The last time the mills operated at this rate was mid-May. Raw steel production for the week ending Aug. 3 totaled 1,897,000 net tons, […]
Steel mill capacity utilization inched up for the third week in a row to nearly 81 percent last week as the domestic mills seek to capitalize on higher prices in the marketplace. Raw steel production for the week ending July 27 totaled 1,884,000 net tons, an increase of 0.6 percent from the previous week, as […]
A new bipartisan Senate bill on transportation infrastructure is getting the enthusiastic support of industry associations. The America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 will authorize $287 billion over five years to improve the nation’s roads and bridges. The legislation includes provisions to improve road safety, accelerate project delivery, improve resiliency to disasters and reduce highway […]
If you haven’t registered for the Premier Steel Conference in North America, then this is the time to do so. The Steel Market Update Events App, which all 900+ attendees have access to, was launched last week, meaning registered attendees are now busy organizing meetings with each other in advance to make the most of their time […]
If you haven’t registered for the Premier Steel Conference in North America, then this is the time to do so. The Steel Market Update Events App, which all 900+ attendees have access to, was launched last week, meaning registered attendees are now busy organizing meetings with each other in advance to make the most of their time […]
Domestic steelmakers are keeping their capacity utilization above the 80 percent mark as they seek higher prices in the marketplace. The U.S. mill utilization rate averaged 80.4 percent in the week ending July 20, an increase of 0.3 percent from the previous week. Raw steel production for the week totaled 1,872,000 net tons. Production was […]
May apparent steel supply was calculated at 9,387,605 net tons, according to data recently released by the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined by adding domestic steel shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then subtracting total U.S. steel exports. May apparent steel […]
By Fouad Egbaria, MetalMiner Editor’s note: The following article, Chatting with CRU’s Josh Spoores Ahead of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit, originally appeared in MetalMiner’s July 18 edition. Those in the steel sector will have a chance to learn about all of the trends impacting the steel industry during the upcoming SMU Steel Summit, scheduled […]
Most indicators of manufacturing activity are still positive, but if trends continue, growth will become negative by late summer. This report summarizes 11 data streams that describe the state of U.S. manufacturing in general and the steel industry in particular. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and […]
Total U.S. raw steel production in the month of May rose 2.7 percent to 8,325,489 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. May production was at one of the higher levels in recent history, only surpassed by March 2019 and October 2018. Prior to those three months, the last time production […]
The U.S. mill capability utilization rate increased by 1.1 percent from the previous week, edging back up over 80 percent, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. Raw steel production for the week ending July 13 totaled 1,867,000 net tons, for a mill utilization rate of 80.2 percent. Production was up by 1.6 percent compared […]
To stiffen his Buy American policies, President Trump signed an executive order on Monday raising the threshold for American-made steel used in federal projects from 50 percent to 95 percent. The executive order states that the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council is to “consider proposing” within 180 days amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that […]
Demand for long products is very strong, driven by the construction industry. Demand for sheet products is declining. This analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and imports/export data from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC). The analysis summarizes total steel supply […]
The U.S. mill capability utilization rate saw a slight dip again last week to 79.4 percent–below the 80 percent level steelmakers had hoped to maintain. Raw steel production for the week ending July 6 totaled 1,847,000 net tons, the lowest level seen since last fall. Production was down 0.2 percent from the previous week, but […]
Over 800 executives are registered with just seven weeks to go before the start of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We continue to see strong interest in this year’s event, which will be held in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 26-28. Once again, the Georgia International Convention Center will be the home of this, our […]
Over 800 executives are registered with just seven weeks to go before the start of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We continue to see strong interest in this year’s event, which will be held in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 26-28. Once again, the Georgia International Convention Center will be the home of this, our […]
As many predicted, the mill capability utilization rate was bound to dip below 80 percent soon as domestic steelmakers ease back on production to trim supplies in pursuit of higher steel prices. Indeed, average utilization dipped last week for the fifth week in a row, by a full percentage point, to 79.5 percent. Raw steel […]
The market is keeping a close watch on capacity utilization by domestic steelmakers for signs the mills may be dialing back on their high production rates to better match supply with demand. While there was a small dip, mill utilization remained above the 80 percent level last week. The American Iron and Steel Institute reports […]
More than 700 executives are registered with slightly more than two months to go before the start of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We continue to see strong interest in this year’s event, which will be held in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 26-28. Once again, the Georgia International Convention Center (www.gicc.com) will be the […]
More than 700 executives are registered with slightly more than two months to go before the start of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We continue to see strong interest in this year’s event, which will be held in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 26-28. Once again, the Georgia International Convention Center (www.gicc.com) will be the […]
U.S. steel mill utilization inched up a half percent after four weeks of small declines to 81.1 percent in the week ending June 15. Raw steel production for the week totaled 1,887,000 net tons, a 4.0 percent increase from the same period last year, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. Adjusted year-to-date production through June […]
Most indicators of manufacturing activity are still positive, but if trends continue growth could become negative by late summer, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. This report summarizes 11 data streams that describe the state of U.S. manufacturing in general and the steel industry in particular. We have reported on most of these separately […]
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 […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive-level members. For more information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Demand for long products is strong, driven by construction, while demand for sheet is declining, according to this SMU analysis of the latest data from the American Iron and […]
The U.S. mill capability utilization rate declined slightly for the fourth week in a row to 80.6 percent in the week ending June 8. Raw steel production dipped by another 0.8 percent from the previous week to 1,875,000 net tons. Current mill utilization is down about 2.8 percentage points from its peak earlier this year. […]