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SMU survey: Most sheet, plate buyers find mills more flexible on price
Steel buyers found mills more willing to negotiate spot pricing this week on all products SMU tracks with the exception of Galvalume, according to our most recent survey data.
Steel buyers found mills more willing to negotiate spot pricing this week on all products SMU tracks with the exception of Galvalume, according to our most recent survey data.
US sheet prices remained on a downward course again this week amid chatter in some corners about a potential broader slowdown in demand. SMU’s hot-rolled (HR) coil price now stands at $730 per short ton (st) on average, down $20/st from last week and down $115/st from a recent high of $845/st in early April. […]
Offshore cold-rolled (CR) coil prices remain significantly cheaper than domestic product. That remains the cause even as US CR coil prices continued to tick lower. All told, US CR prices are now 17.6% more expensive than imports. While still high, that premium is down from 19.4% last week and down from 31.5% in early January.
Sheet prices slipped again this week on a combination of moderate demand, increased imports, and higher import volumes.
Offshore cold-rolled (CR) coil prices remain a cheaper option over domestic product, even as US CR coil prices tick lower, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Hot rolled buyers found mills less willing to negotiate spot pricing this week, while other products SMU tracks were mixed, according to our most recent survey data.
Steel prices eased for both sheet and plate products this week, according to our latest canvass of the market
Steel prices were overall mixed this week, according to our latest check on the market. Sheet prices were flat to down, while plate prices inched up. SMU indices on hot rolled, cold rolled, and galvanized are now down to the lowest levels seen since November.
Offshore cold-rolled (CR) coil prices remain much less expensive than domestic product, even as domestic prices have slipped to a six-month low, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Hot rolled, cold rolled, and plate buyers said mills are more willing to talk price on spot orders this week, while the overall negotiation rate for products SMU surveys remained level, according to our most recent survey data.
Sheet prices fell across the board this week – largely in response to Nucor’s $65-per-short-ton price cut for hot-rolled (HR) coil on Monday morning. SMU’s HR coil price is $780/st on average, a $35/st decrease week over week (w/w). Our average cold-rolled coil price is $1,090/st (down $30/st w/w). Our galvanized base price is $1,100/st […]
Foreign cold-rolled (CR) coil remains much less expensive than domestic product even as domestic prices continue to decline, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Sheet prices were flat or moderately down again this week – underscoring the shift in momentum we’ve seen over the last month. The exception was hot-rolled (HR) coil, which was largely unchanged from last week.
Foreign cold-rolled (CR) coil remains much less expensive than domestic product, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Sheet prices were again mixed this week – all seemed to highlight the momentum shift seen over the past two weeks.
Foreign cold-rolled (CR) coil remains less expensive than domestic product, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Sheet prices varied this week. While hot-rolled (HR) coil pricing was largely flat, cold-rolled (CR) coil and tandem product pricing eased slightly reflecting the momentum shift seen last week for HR coil. SMU’s average HR coil price was flat from last week at $835 per short ton (st) – potentially emphasizing the tension between competing […]
The market appears to be taking a pause after the heavy buying that occurred in March.
Steel buyers said mills are more willing to talk price on spot orders on all the products SMU covers, according to our most recent survey data.
Sheet prices saw a slight momentum shift this week after consecutive gains in the prior two weeks. Plate edged lower on greater competition off easing demand, according to our latest check of the steel market.
Sheet prices moved higher this week for the second consecutive week, while plate prices ticked lower, according to our latest canvas of the steel market.
After stabilizing in our last check of the market, production times for flat-rolled steel have begun to push out further, according to steel buyers responding to SMU's market survey this week.
The dollar premium cold-rolled coil (CRC) carries over hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues to expand according to our latest scope of the market.
Sheet prices reversed course and moved higher this week, while plate priced remained flat, according to our latest canvas of the market.
Foreign cold-rolled (CR) coil remains notably less expensive than domestic product even with repeated tag declines across all regions, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Sheet and plate prices mostly moved lower this week after little change was noted the week prior. Despite edging down, sentiment is mixed, and many suggest a bottom may be near.
Foreign cold-rolled coil (CR) remains significantly less expensive than domestic product even as US tags continue to decline in a hurry, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Sheet and plate prices were mostly flat this week – largely in response to the mill price blitz from last week – pausing the downtrend they’d been on for the better part of 2024.
The price premium cold-rolled coil (CRC) carries over hot-rolled coil (HRC) remains wide, according to our latest market check. Based on our steel price indices published Tuesday, the spread between these products is at the fifth-highest weekly level seen over the last 16 months.
Sheet and plate prices this week continued the downward trend they’ve been on for most of 2024. Some market sources predicted that a wave of spring maintenance outages would help to stabilize lead times and prices in the weeks ahead – especially should service center inventories, high at the beginning of the year, come down meaningfully.