Tag: Ferrous Scrap

The US scrap market showed some stability in August, with prices mostly sideways on busheling and shredded grades, and HMS prices ticking up from the previous month, sources said.

The summer cycle has brought more focus around the uncertainty of where HR prices are headed.   Spot indexes continue to bleed lower despite price hikes from sheet mills. Market talk is of still lower prices as the gap grows between the slow-moving index versus expectations for HR future prices declines. (The index likely reflects smaller, […]

August could see US scrap prices stabilizing, or even rising, depending on the grade or region, scrap sources told SMU.

Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) president Philip K. Bell will be joining as a panelist and presenter at the 2023 SMU Steel Summit Conference Aug. 21-23 in Atlanta. “I’ve been attending Steel Summit for over a decade, and each year it gets bigger and better,” Bell said in a sitdown with SMU. This year he will […]

US scrap prices fell across the board in May, and expectations are that June could move lower still on weaker global demand. “Domestic demand was generally decent aside from several mills in the Ohio Valley that had substantially reduced buy programs,” one scrap source said. “Ironically, Ohio is still home to the strongest ferrous scrap market […]

New calculations suggest that the lifespan of steel might be shorter than originally believed, according to a report released by the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA). The report provides new calculations suggesting that the lifespan of steel is in the range of 25 to 35 years, rather than 40 years. The shorter lifespan increases the availability of […]

We’ve written in SMU about “green” steel and whether steel consumers, including market-leading OEMs, will pay a premium for it. What about the potential for premiums in scrap too? Maybe not for green scrap. But what about for “prime grade” or prime-equivalent shredded scrap? Shred that transforms into prime – maybe we could call it […]

By CRU Senior Analyst, Puneet Paliwal, from CRU’s Scrap, DRI/HBI & Pig Iron Monitor The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) for March rose by 7.4% month on month (MoM), to 357.7, which is its highest value since June 2022. Strong Turkish buying of scrap and pig iron since the second half of February is the key […]

The Biden administration has hit Russian pig iron as well as other steel and metal products with tariffs of up to 70%. The move was made with less fanfare than the 200% tariffs on Russian aluminum announced in a presidential proclamation last week. The tariffs were included in an annex attached to that proclamation. The […]

BlueScope Steel said earnings at its North Star operations in Delta, Ohio, tumbled on lower steel prices in the six months of its fiscal year 2023. The Australian steelmaker reported underlying ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of $173.4 million in its 1H FY2023 at North Star, down 81% from $925.3 million last year, […]

 By now, anyone who works in the steel industry understands how important sustainability is. Steel is the most recycled material in the world, and recycled steel is a prominent ingredient in electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking. Steel Market Update’s final Spotlight of 2022 gets into sustainability with Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), […]

Ferrous scrap prices increased from November to December, according to Steel Market Update sources, breaking the seven-month cycle of price declines. Buyers reported prime scrap prices increased roughly $30 per gross ton, while shredded prices rose $20 per ton. “Scrap prices are up a minimum $20-30 per ton this month,” reported one scrap executive. He […]

Ferrous scrap prices declined from October to November, marking the seventh consecutive month of falling prices, according to Steel Market Update sources. Buyers reported prime scrap fell as much as $30 per gross ton in some regions, while shredded prices were flat to down $20 per gross ton. Sources continue to attribute price declines to […]

A strong performance from its steel fabrication operations offset lower earnings within its flat rolled steel business, resulting in another strong quarter for Steel Dynamics Inc. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker and recycler reported net income of $914 million on sales of $5.65 billion in the third quarter ended Sept. 30. While sales were 11% […]

Steel Market Update sources report that ferrous scrap prices fell again in October. The drop marks the sixth consecutive month of declining scrap tags. Prime scrap prices fell an average of $45 per ton, while obsolete grades were relatively flat to down $25.  Scrap sources attributed falling prices to weakening demand on both the domestic and […]

The following article on the hot-rolled coil (HRC), scrap and financial futures markets was written by Jack Marshall of Crunch Risk LLC. Here is how Jack saw trading over the past week: Hot Rolled Hot-rolled (HR) futures participants market watch as they wait for signs that demand will return even as the dollar continues to […]

Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to be sideways to down in October, potentially the fifth consecutive monthly decline since the record highs seen earlier this year. Obsolete grades are anticipated to fall as much as $20 per gross ton or more, while prime scrap is expected to remain flat or slightly decline. […]

Growth is on the horizon for Commercial Metals Company (CMC). The Irving, Texas-based metals provider and recycler announced its acquisition of Advanced Steel Recovery LLC (ASR) in a press release on Sept. 15. In addition to supplying recycled ferrous metals, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif-.based ASR possesses processing and brokering capabilities with which they can procure material […]

Steel Market Update sources report ferrous scrap prices declined by as much as $30 per gross ton in September, going against previous expectations that prices would remain stable or even increase. September marks the sixth consecutive month of declines since March–April’s record high prices. Prime scrap fell by $30 per gross ton from the month […]

Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to be sideways or rise slightly going into September. The move would potentially end the four-month streak of declines seen since the spring’s record high tags. Obsolete grades are anticipated to remain relatively stable from August to September, while prime scrap is expected to increase $20-$30 per […]

Steel Market Update sources report ferrous scrap prices declined as much as $70 per gross ton from July to August, the fifth consecutive month of declines since March–April’s record high prices. Prime scrap fell by $70 per ton from the month prior, while obsolete grades declined $15–40 per ton. For the first time since late-2020, […]

Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to weaken further in August, potentially registering the fourth consecutive month of declines since March and April’s record high prices. Obsolete grades are anticipated to decrease around $30 per gross ton over July, while prime scrap is expected to ease marginally. “Despite what I think is slightly […]

Steel made by US electric arc furnace (EAF) producers emits 75% less carbon than steel produced by traditional blast furnace-based production. That’s according to an independent study conducted by Steel Market Update parent company CRU Group for the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA). The results of that study were released today. Washington, D.C.-based SMA represents the […]

Steel Market Update sources reported ferrous scrap prices fell significantly in July, the third consecutive month of declines since peaking in March and April. Prime grades declined as much as $150 per gross ton, while obsolete grades decreased $30-50 per ton. Scrap prices are now in line with levels seen in the first two months […]

Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to fall again in July, the third consecutive month of declines since March and April’s record high prices. Both prime and obsolete grades are expected to decrease $50 per gross ton or more, with some saying prime could fall as much as $100 per ton. “The swiftness […]

Steel Market Update sources report ferrous scrap prices declined from May to June, dropping further from the record high prices seen in March and April. Prime grades declined between $55-75 per gross ton, with obsolete grades down $50-70 per ton. This puts the SMU price indices for scrap as follows: Busheling scrap at $600-670 per […]

Steel Market Update sources expect ferrous scrap prices to decline in June, following record high prices in March through May. Some expect prime grades to decline as much as $50 per gross ton from May, with obsolete grades down anywhere from $20-$50 per ton. “Markets are worsening by the day. It looks like there is continued […]

Steel Market Update sources report ferrous scrap prices fell $75-100 per gross ton in May, following record high prices in March and April due to the war in Ukraine. Heavy melt (HMS) was down nearly $100 per gross ton, whereas shredded and busheling prices were down $75 per gross ton. “Demand is okay, but there’s just too much supply […]

Steel Market Update sources report ferrous scrap prices fell $75-100 per gross ton in May, following record high prices in March and April due to the war in Ukraine. Heavy melt (HMS) was down nearly $100 per gross ton, whereas shredded and busheling prices were down $75 per gross ton. “Demand is okay, but there’s just too much supply […]

I hope the balance of the year turns out to be as good as steel mill and service center executives say it will be. I’ve covered a lot earnings reports and spent a lot of time on earnings calls over the last month. (It sometimes feels like the sun never sets on earnings season.) And […]