Tag: Exports

An update on the US scrap export market.

December 2024 marks the fourth month in a row that steel exports have declined, now at the lowest monthly rate recorded since December 2022.

The scrap and metallics market has reacted to the tariffs potentially being implemented on our neighbors to the north and south. These could have a serious impact on the market, especially on Canada, unless these products are exempted.

The US scrap market for February has a lot of moving parts that need to mesh before an accurate picture can emerge. However, the general opinion for next month is an increase of at least $20 per gross ton (gt), according to sources contacted by SMU. Among the issues are winter weather decreasing scrap flows, […]

Mexican steel trade association Canacero said steel exports from the Latin American country into the US do not pose a threat. And claims that Mexican steel exports have been the driver of US plant closures and layoffs are “unfounded,” the association said. “On the contrary, the US greatly benefits from steel trade flows and has […]

The US and Canada have a long history of exporting ferrous scrap to numerous other countries over the last 100 years. During this period, the countries supplied have varied. In the last century, the main export destinations were Japan, South Korea, and the Far East in general. As the installation of EAF melting proliferated, the […]

The export scrap markets continue to lose ground. Unlike the domestic markets in the US and Canada, which have shown some strength in January, there have been multiple sales by US East Coast (USEC) exporters at lower prices, even after the US markets prices settled. And February looks even stronger. There are several reasons for […]

The amount of finished steel that entered the US market fell to a multi-month low in November, according to an analysis of Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data.

The amount of steel exiting the country continued to decline through November, falling to an 11-month low, according to the latest US Department of Commerce data. This is the third month in a row that steel exports have eased and the second-lowest monthly rate recorded in almost two years.

Referred to as ‘apparent steel supply’, we calculate this volume by combining domestic steel mill shipments with finished US steel imports and deducting total US steel exports.

The volume of steel exported from the country declined in October for the second-consecutive month, following a one-year high in August.

Last week, the export community in the Atlantic Basin was licking its wounds over a Northern European sale at a two-year low of $325 per gross ton (gt) for HMS 80/20 to Turkey.

The ferrous scrap markets both here and abroad are displaying a definite lack of enthusiasm as we head into the holiday season.

The total amount of finished steel to enter the US market in September fell to its lowest level in seven months, according to our analysis of recent Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data

After rising to a one-year high in August, the volume of steel that exited the country in September fell 10% month on month (m/m) to 760,000 short tons (st).

As we await the formation of November’s domestic ferrous scrap market, all the recent action is in the export market. However, it is debatable whether events in this arena are influencing our US market other than psychologically. This opinion has been expressed by several sources that I have approached.

The volume of finished steel entering the US market declined in August from July, according to SMU’s analysis of data from the US Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Referred to as ‘apparent steel supply,’ we calculate this monthly rate by combining domestic steel mill shipments and finished US steel imports and deducting total US steel exports.

The amount of steel exiting the country in August reached the highest monthly rate recorded since August 2023.

Following May’s five-month low, US steel exports ticked higher in July, according to the latest US Department of Commerce data. The amount of steel exiting the country rose 6% month on month (m/m) to 818,000 short tons (st). This is back in line with trade levels seen in recent months.

After nearing a two-year high in May, the volume of finished steel entering the US market (referred to as ‘apparent steel supply’) receded in June, according to SMU’s latest analysis of data from the Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Total US steel exports declined again in June, down 2% month-on-month (m/m) to 773,000 short tons (st) according to the latest US Department of Commerce data.

GrafTech cited a “challenging” part of the business cycle as its net loss widened in the second quarter.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, when you add in some commentary from respected peers in the steel industry to those pictures, that may shoot you up to five thousand words, at least. In that spirit, we’ve added some snapshots from our market survey this week, along with some comments from market participants.

The price gap between US cold-rolled (CR) coil and imported CR has fallen to a 10-month low as domestic tags continue to drift lower. Domestic CR coil prices averaged $920 per short ton (st) in our check of the market on Tuesday, July 16, down $40/st from the week before. CR tags are now down […]

The United Kingdom and other countries are using the “green” label to subsidize bailouts of obsolete, inefficient, and excess capacity that should exit the market. US steelmakers have invested billions of dollars in technologies that curb greenhouse gas output. These investments have been market-based and led by EAF producers such as Nucor, Steel Dynamics, and CMC.

North American auto assemblies ticked down by nearly 6% in June after reaching a nine-month high in May, according to LMC Automotive data. Assemblies were also down 1.4% year on year (y/y).

A roundup of aluminum news from CRU.

Steel is, mostly for historical reasons, a bellwether of international policy. No longer an industry of primary importance, its advocates still proclaim that it is. And steel still continues to punch above its weight in Washington, DC. Below are a few recent examples.

Offshore cold-rolled (CR) coil remains cheaper than domestic product. The gap continues to tighten, however, as US CR coil prices slip to a nine-month low. Domestic CR coil tags averaged $960 per short ton (st) in our check of the market on Tuesday, July 9, down $5/st from the week before. CR tags are now […]

The volume of finished steel entering the US market, dubbed ‘apparent steel supply,’ ticked up 3% from April to May according to SMU analysis of Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data.