This report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products. As of November 2020, imports’ share of total sheet products was 11.4 percent, down from 11.8 percent in October. Imports’ share has been on a steady decline since its most recent peak of 16.6 percent this past May. The import share of […]
“It’s not how much it cost, it’s do I have steel to make my parts…?” That was one of the comments discussed this morning during our HARDI galvanized steel conference call. Some of the mechanical contractors have jobs to complete, and they need steel to finish. However, others are trying to hold back on buying […]
The benchmark price for hot rolled steel reached a new record high of $1,080 per ton this week, according to Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market, surpassing the previous high of $1,070 per ton recorded by SMU in 2008. Prices for flat rolled and plate steel products jumped by another $40-80 per ton […]
This report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products. As of October 2020, imports’ share of total sheet products was 11.8 percent, down from 16.6 percent in May and from a recent high of 22.9 percent in 2015. The import share of HRC has been below 10 percent since January 2019, […]
Hot rolled lead times were slightly shorter this week, but lead times for other products were the same or slightly longer, based on Steel Market Update’s first check of the market in the new year. Lead times for deliveries of hot rolled were still highly extended at an average of nearly eight weeks, and it’s […]
Flat rolled steel prices have started the new year strong, jumping by another $25-55 per ton and taking the benchmark hot rolled price above $1,000, within sight of the record high of $1,070 per ton seen in 2008. With steel still in tight supply and ferrous scrap prices likely to increase again in January, Steel […]
Flat rolled steel prices have started the new year strong, jumping by another $25-55 per ton and taking the benchmark hot rolled price above $1,000, within sight of the record high of $1,070 per ton seen in 2008. With steel still in tight supply and ferrous scrap prices likely to increase again in January, Steel […]
Recently we were asked how we can produce our flat rolled and plate price indices when there are limited transactions either due to high prices or a holiday period like we are in now. In both scenarios there continue to be transactions (although few and far between), but we are careful not to overheat or […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron, scrap, zinc and aluminum continue to see large gains in December compared to months prior, up as much as 65 percent year over year. Iron ore, pig iron and scrap prices have seen significant increases compared to the late summer months. Coking coal prices […]
Steel Market Update has heard reports of buyers paying well over $1,000 a ton to secure much-needed hot roll, but the average from respondents to SMU’s poll this week puts the HR price at around $985 per ton (among those who have managed to find available steel). With demand persisting despite year-end seasonality and mill […]
Steel Market Update’s check of the market a few days before Christmas shows no let-up in steel demand, as prices continue to rise and lead times continue to extend. With steel supplies remaining extremely tight, lead times for deliveries of hot rolled have stretched to more than eight weeks and coated steel orders to around […]
Based on Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week, hot rolled steel prices are nearing $1,000 per ton, within sight of a record high. With service centers and OEMs willing to pay such high prices in order to secure inventory in a tight market, it’s no surprise the buyers report little willingness among […]
Hot rolled steel prices have not yet hit $1,000 a ton, but they are not far behind. Buyers tell Steel Market Update they are seeing offers as high as $1,020 per ton, but no takers so far. SMU puts the average HR price at around $950 per ton, up substantially over last week as the […]
Flat rolled and plate steel prices continue to be quite fluid based on the analysis of the data from Steel Market Update’s survey of the market this week, as well as individual channel checks with both buyers and sellers. By “fluid,” we mean we are capturing variances in prices over a short period of time. […]
No one anticipated in August how quickly prices would go up, said CRU Principal Analyst Josh Spoores during this week’s SMU Community Chat Webinar. As four criteria lined up—steel-intensive industrial demand, low supply chain inventories, low imports, and domestic prices below global levels—steel prices in the U.S. surged at the fastest rate in 41 years, […]
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, I will be an instructor at our Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making and Market Fundamentals Workshop. We have a full class with a mixture of steel service centers, manufacturing companies, steel mills, traders, analysts, and suppliers to the industry. I am looking forwarding to discussing supply, demand, […]
Steel prices continued to climb in November on strong demand and tight steel supplies. Steel Market Update’s hot rolled price index reached $770 per ton by the end of November, up 10 percent from the beginning of the month. The SMU Pricing Momentum Indicator remained at Higher, indicating prices are expected to rise further over […]
Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows another jump for both flat rolled and plate, taking the benchmark price for hot rolled steel to an average of $805 per ton. Sources commonly reported paying as much as $840 to secure hot rolled in a market where availability is becoming a critical issue. […]
Flat rolled steel prices just keep ratcheting up as supplies remain extremely tight, with lead times continuing to extend and sources warning of impending shortages of some products (see related articles in this issue). Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week moves the benchmark price for hot rolled up to $770 per ton, […]
Flat rolled steel prices just keep ratcheting up as supplies remain extremely tight, with lead times continuing to extend and sources warning of impending shortages of some products (see related articles in this issue). Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week moves the benchmark price for hot rolled up to $770 per ton, […]
How much further can lead times extend? We’ll let you know. But there is no sign yet that they have peaked. Lead times for delivery of spot orders continue to stretch with hot rolled now averaging nearly seven weeks and coated steel orders nearly nine and a half weeks. Lead times are an indicator of […]
Lead times for spot orders of hot rolled steel have extended by another half-week as demand persistently outpaces supplies. Lead times for steel deliveries continue to stretch with hot rolled now averaging nearly seven and a half weeks and coated steel orders around nine and a half weeks. Lead times are an indicator of steel demand—longer […]
In a market where supplies of various products are so tight that some buyers say they would be willing to pay almost any price just to get material, there is very little negotiation going on between the mills and their spot market customers. The mills have no reason to bargain when demand is so far […]
There is very little negotiation going on between the mills and their spot market customers as supplies remain extremely tight and buyers are happy just to find available material, even if they have to pay a substantial premium. It has been a seller’s market since September, with the mills enjoying most of the leverage, and […]
Plate prices have finally gained some traction, seeing a notable jump this past week to an average of $720 per ton, according to Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market. Nucor and SSAB Americas announced plate increases this week in hopes of maintaining that upward momentum. Flat rolled prices continued their relentless climb, with […]
National level import reports do a good job of measuring the overall market pressure caused by the imports of individual products. The downside is that there are huge regional differences. This report examines other metallic coated imports (mainly Galvalume) by region through September 2020. In September, OMC imports were up by 0.9 percent at the […]
The Perfect Storm: Long lead times, late deliveries, low service center inventories, strong demand, higher prices, lack of foreign steel imports, mill outages both planned and unplanned, maximum capacity utilization rates at a number of mills, NLMK USA strike, higher ferrous scrap prices that are expected to go much higher in the coming months, restrictions […]
Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows that the flat rolled mills are extremely busy and operating near full capacity. More than 80 percent of the service center and OEM executives responding to SMU’s questionnaire said they are seeing late deliveries from their mill suppliers. More than 60 percent expect a shortage […]
The SMU Steel Price Momentum Indicators on all flat rolled and plate steel products are currently pointing toward higher prices over the next 30 days. We expect hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume and steel plate pricing to increase during the coming weeks. The two major reasons for our position are the limitations of supply […]
Flat rolled steel prices continued to rise last week, though at a modest $5-10 per ton pace. The exception was Galvalume, which jumped by $40 as demand continues to outpace supplies. The benchmark average for hot rolled coil, at $710 per ton, surpassed the $700 level, where many had expected it to peak. With demand […]