(Editor’s note: This is a corrected version of Final Thoughts. The original misstated a hot rolled peak of $1,995 per ton, not $1,955.) In our questionnaire this week, we asked steel buyers: Do you sense that the market is changing, and in what ways? Not surprisingly, many referenced shortening mill lead times and declining steel prices. […]
First, please note that due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the Steel Market Update newsletter will not be published on Thursday (which is Thanksgiving Day) and Sunday, Nov. 28. We will return to our normal publication schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 30. We want to wish everyone in the United States a happy, healthy Thanksgiving with family and […]
December ferrous scrap prices are expected to trade sideways or up slightly after a surprise jump higher in November, Steel Market Update sources said. “December scrap is likely to move sideways, particularly for sales done at the higher end of the November range. For sales at the lower end, a $10-20 per ton ‘catch-up’ increase […]
With 2022 right around the corner, it’s time to reflect back on an unusual and eventful year for the steel industry. Following is Steel Market Update’s Top 10 News Events of 2021: #10 – Economy Rebounds from COVID: No one could have predicted when the virus crippled commerce in the spring of 2020 that the […]
By Philip Bell, President, Steel Manufacturers Association Earlier this year, the European Commission began reviewing its Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) and considering proposals for its revision. On Nov. 17, the EU commission announced that it may restrict waste exports including metal scrap to non-OECD countries. In yesterday’s formal announcement, the commission proposed revised legislation on […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Thais Terzian and Analyst Chris Bandmann, from CRU’s Crude Steel Market Outlet, Nov. 15 There is currently a lot of market discussion that the EU may act to restrict scrap exports. Here we look at who could be hurt and who might see opportunities. Other regions have already acted to protect […]
Ferrous scrap prices saw an unexpectedly big jump in November, with shredded scrap selling as high as $75/GT above October levels. Prime scrap rose $20/GT, sources tell Steel Market Update. Observers were expecting higher prices in November on strong export demand and some seasonal tightening of supplies, but were surprised by the size of the […]
BlueScope Steel plans to acquire U.S. ferrous scrap recycler MetalX LLC for $240 million. MetalX is the leading scrap supplier to North Star BlueScope, the Australian steelmaker’s electric arc furnace (EAF) sheet mill in Delta, Ohio. The deal is expected to close by the end of December, BlueScope said in a press release. MetalX operates […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) posted yet another new quarterly profit record on record-high flat-rolled steel prices. And the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker thinks that the record times could roll into the fourth quarter as well. “Domestic steel demand remains solid in our automotive, construction, and industrial end markets. We believe this […]
As “the next precious metal,” prime scrap is a growth opportunity and a logical fit for Cleveland-Cliffs, which announced Monday that it plans to acquire Detroit-based Ferrous Processing and Trading Co. (FPT). The $775-million deal, Cliffs’ first foray into scrap, comes as no big surprise to most market observers. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest producer of […]
The David J. Joseph Co. (DJJ) has acquired two recycling operations that are expected to increase its capacity by 10%, parent company Nucor Corp. said. DJJ’s deals – terms of which were not disclosed – will support the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker’s growth strategy and increase its ability to secure scrap for its electric arc furnace (EAF) […]
Following a big drop in scrap prices in September, sources tell Steel Market Update they expect an increase in the price of obsolete grades in October, with prime grades seeing some downward pressure. “I think we will see an increase specifically for shred in October. The consensus is building that prices in October for these grades […]
With trading still winding down today, it appears ferrous scrap prices for October will settle down $20/GT on prime grades and sideways for obsoletes. Most Steel Market Update sources expect scrap prices to start moving higher in the months ahead. “After Cleveland-Cliffs bought busheling last week basically sideways, the U.S. mills stubbornly waited a week […]
After a small decline in October, ferrous scrap prices are expected to strengthen in November and beyond on strong export demand and tightening seasonal supplies, sources tell Steel Market Update. CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley sees upward momentum for scrap prices in the weeks and months ahead. Export demand is increasing, he said, pointing to […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) forecasts a new quarterly record in the third quarter of 2021 when it comes to steel operations’ profitability, according to guidance issued Wednesday. The gains versus second-quarter results come thanks to strong steel demand and significant metal spread expansion, the electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker said. “Third-quarter 2021 steel shipments are expected to be […]
In the near term, ferrous scrap prices are heading down. But in the long term – with the proliferation of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking around the globe putting added pressure on scrap supplies – the price trend for scrap is definitely pointing upward. The cost of scrap and other metallics is of high interest […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. has resumed production at its Cascade Steel Rolling Mills in McMinnville, Ore., following a fire in late May that damaged the facility’s melt shop. The Portland, Ore.-based recycler, which also owns the Oregon mill, said the facility was accepting orders after restarting operations several weeks earlier than expected. “I am proud […]
As scrap prices for August were settling today, obsolete grades generally traded down $20/GT, while prime grades traded sideways, sources tell Steel Market Update. Late reports indicated busheling may be down $10 in the South. Ferrous scrap prices factor into the mills’ costs and how much they charge for finished steel products. The drop in […]
Looking for Signs One year ago, benchmark hot rolled prices bottomed at $440 per ton ($22.00/cwt). Since then, steel prices have been on a tear with spot hot rolled more than four times higher at nearly $1,900 per ton ($95.00/cwt). The net result from this 52-week march higher is the way steel buyers view the […]
Looking for Signs One year ago, benchmark hot rolled prices bottomed at $440 per ton ($22.00/cwt). Since then, steel prices have been on a tear with spot hot rolled more than four times higher at nearly $1,900 per ton ($95.00/cwt). The net result from this 52-week march higher is the way steel buyers view the […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) kicked off steel earnings season by posting record second-quarter sales and record profits on ballooning metal spreads. And the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker anticipates another record performance in the third quarter as well as strong demand into 2022. “We remain confident that macroeconomic and market conditions are […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., posted its best results in more than a decade in its fiscal third quarter thanks to high prices and strong demand for both ferrous and nonferrous scrap. The Portland, Ore.-based scrap recycler and long steel producer recorded net income of $63.6 million in the third quarter after losing approximately $5 million […]
The dilemma is global warming, CO2 is just the proxy, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said during the opening keynote speech at CRU’s Steel Decarbonization Strategies 2021 Virtual Conference. Cliffs’ top executive took a strong stance during his talk—which opened the first major event devoted exclusively to the topic of decarbonization in the […]
The dilemma is global warming, CO2 is just the proxy, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said during the opening keynote speech at CRU’s Steel Decarbonization Strategies 2021 Virtual Conference. Cliffs’ top executive took a strong stance during his talk—which opened the first major event devoted exclusively to the topic of decarbonization in the […]
Ferrous scrap prices are likely to rise again in July on top of the $50-60 per gross ton increase in June – but just how much remains unclear, according to Steel Market Update sources. “July expectations vary greatly,” said one dealer in the Northeast. “Most consumers are conceding prices will be up $20-50/GT depending on grade and […]
Ferrous scrap prices rose by $20/GT for prime grades, but were unchanged for obsoletes, in trading for July. Prime supplies were influenced by the slowdown in automotive production, while obsolete prices reflect stable export demand. Sources tell Steel Market Update that prices in the Ohio Valley settled around $505-514/GT for shred, $500-510/GT for plate and […]
Ferrous scrap prices, like finished steel prices, have been on the rise for most of the year (see chart), but could see a pause in August. Sources tell Steel Market Update they expect obsolete grades to trade $20/GT lower next month, while prime prices will most likely remain unchanged. “Obsolete grades should trade in the […]
By Michael Marley The mini sheet mills face a maxi problem, namely no additional supplies of prompt industrial scrap to feed their growing appetites for that raw material. As they move ahead with planned expansions of existing facilities and the construction of greenfield plants, electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers may be forced to rely on additional […]
Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs marked sixth months of continued operation and production of hot-briquetted iron (HBI) at its direct reduction plant in Toledo, Ohio, with a ribbon-cutting celebration. In attendance for the June 9 on-site event hosted by Cliffs’ Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves were Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D, Ohio), and Toledo […]
U.S. ferrous scrap prices have settled up $60 per gross ton on prime grades and up $50 per gross ton on obsoletes, according to market participants. “Regional markets were very consistent with the up $50 (per gross ton) on obsolete grades and up $60 (per gross ton) for primes,” one scrap executive said. “This resulted […]