Steel Market Update is pleased to share this new Premium content—an index comparing lead time and demand data—with Executive members. For information on upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US was sideways in our mid-August reading. The lack of change in the index highlights the current state of […]
We’ll kick off our Steel Summit conference in Atlanta in just a few short days. I’m looking forward to learning from executives across the supply chain – from steel mills and service centers to automakers and trucking companies. I’m also looking forward to getting the mood of the room when we do our annual poll […]
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 Weekly changes in the value of spot HR have continued to drop an average of about $30/net ton but it should […]
Producer prices fell in July, stunning a 27-month growth run. Last month the headline index declined by 3.1%, seasonally adjusted, driven by a plunge in energy prices that slowed the pace of inflation, the US Labor Department reported. July’s producer price index (PPI), a measure of the prices received for final-demand products, fell 0.5% from […]
Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Stelco has reached a tentative agreement with one local union, and another has ratified a new, five-year labor contract with the company. The negotiating committee for United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8782 broke the news that it had agreed to tentative pact in an update to members on Wednesday, Aug. 17. USW Local […]
Sheet prices were mixed this week as market participants continued to debate whether a recent round of price hikes had stuck. While some said the increases would provide a floor and prevent further price erosion, others said prices were more likely to resume their downward trend in the weeks ahead. There were also questions about […]
On Monday and Tuesday, SMU reached out to numerous steel buyers inquiring about market conditions this week. Sources were asked whether recently announced sheet price increases were sticking, and when they thought hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices might bottom out. The majority of the responses we received suggest that price increases are either partially sticking or […]
North Star BlueScope is “substantially complete” with a $700 million expansion that will provide the Delta, Ohio, EAF sheet mill with additional annual capacity of nearly 950,000 short tons (850,000 metric tonnes). The mill produced the first coil from its expansion in June and has begun the 18-month process of ramping up the facility to […]
Stelco and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1005 have at least temporarily avoided a labor disruption at the Canadian steelmaker’s mill in Hamilton, Ontario. The two parties are working toward an agreement on a new labor contract, details of which will be presented to union members on Monday, Aug. 15. “The strike deadline has been suspended. […]
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and prime scrap prices continues to narrow, according to Steel Market Update data. Busheling scrap prices have declined each of the last four months, as have hot-rolled prices – but at a greater rate than scrap. The result: a shrinking delta between the two products. The latest spread is one-third what […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this new Premium content – an index comparing lead time and demand data – with Executive members. For information on upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US turned in our early August reading, though it’s too early to note if […]
Imported sheet and plate products arrived at US ports at a higher clip in June, resulting in them accounting for a larger share of the domestic market, according to US Commerce Department data. Imports’ share of US sheet and plate markets peaked in December, with sheet reaching its highest level in the past 4.5 years. The trend […]
Total mill shipments of steel products shrank in June, after gaining ground the month before. June’s mill shipments totaled 8.09 million tons, a 3.5% decline from May’s 8.38 million tons. Apparent supply also declined in June, down 2.8% versus the prior month. This analysis is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel […]
Canadian steelmaker ArcelorMittal Dofasco aims to increase spot market base prices for steel sheet by at least $65 per ton CAD (~$50 per ton USD). The Hamilton, Ontario-based company said the price hike was effective immediately and applied equally to hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated products. “We reserve the right to re-quote any previously quoted offer […]
US plate prices edged down again this week after seeing their largest decline in nearly five years the week prior. The latest declines are not exactly a surprise given plate prices had been holding an unsustainable premium over coil and buying has been largely hand-to-mouth. But the straw that broke the camel’s back might just […]
The temptation to purchase foreign hot-rolled coil (HRC) at a bargain remains low, with adjusted foreign prices now within $40 per ton of domestic steel, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. For the past three months, the potential discount on imported products has been shrinking. After taking freight costs, trader margins and tariffs into […]
Stelco Holdings Inc. reported stellar second quarter earnings but warned that the second half of the year won’t be nearly as bright. The Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker pinned the dreary outlook on falling steel prices, lackluster demand, and rising costs for natural gas, coal and alloys. “We are faced now with even stronger headwinds, including the […]
A fire at one of Algoma Steel’s coal conveyors is not affecting iron and steelmaking operations at the company’s mill in Sault St. Marie, Ontario. But coke production will be reduced while the damage is repaired. The fire occurred on Aug. 7, 2022, on one of the conveyors that supplies coal to two of Algoma’s […]
SMU’s benchmark hot-rolled coil price inched upward for the first time since mid-April, nearly four months ago. The modest gain came even as cold-rolled and coated prices continued to see significant declines. Plate prices were roughly flat. By the numbers: Our average hot-rolled coil price now stands at $820 per ton ($41 per cwt), up […]
Algoma’s plate mill is up and running following the first phase of a modernization project that was completed in June. The second phase of the expansion, initially expected to be finished by November 2022, has been moved to June 2023, a company spokeswoman told SMU on Tuesday, Aug. 9. The reason: “to support our customers […]
Nucor Corp. aims to increase base prices for steel sheet by at least $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). The price hike is effectively immediately and applies to all new orders, the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said in letters to customers dated Monday, Aug. 8. “We reserve the right to review and re-quote any offers that […]
I mentioned in my last Final Thoughts that I’d been surprised to see hot-rolled coil lead times inch up, even if only modestly so. I cautioned at the time not to make too much of just one data point or to call a trend based on just one survey. That big caveat aside, as we […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) local chapter representing Stelco’s steelmaking operations will be in a legal position to strike as of 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22. That’s according to a negotiation update sent to members of Local 8782, which represents the Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker’s Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario. The union said it had […]
The appeal to purchase foreign hot-rolled coil (HRC) further faded this week, with foreign prices now in close quarters to domestic steel, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. Since mid-May, US steel prices have generally declined at a faster rate than foreign prices, meaning the potential discount on imported products has been shrinking for […]
Ternium executives provided an update on the company’s new Pesquería hot strip mill and plans for a greenfield electric-arc furnace in North America on the company’s second quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday, August 3. Weak demand and falling prices are impacting the company, but it remains positive on its plans moving forward. Updates on […]
Sheet prices continued to move lower this week, and plate joined the downward trend following a price decrease announced last week by Nucor Corp. Hot-rolled coil prices now have a tenuous grasp on $800 per ton ($40 per cwt). SMU’s average HRC price stands at $805 per ton, down $35 per ton from last week […]
A local USW chapter representing Stelco Inc.’s Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario, has rejected a tentative labor agreement with the Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker. USW Local 8782 said 52% of its members voted to reject a proposed new labor contract. USW Local 8782-08, responsible for Stelco’s pickling operations, narrowly approved a new deal. One member […]
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 The HR futures market has been somewhat subdued this month, which is reflected in the price changes for July. Over the […]
Foreign hot-rolled steel imports have all but lost their appeal this week and are now at levels comparable to domestic steel prices, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis. Since mid May, US steel prices have generally declined at a faster rate than foreign prices, meaning the potential discount on imported products has been shrinking […]
Though steel prices might down from the historic highs of 2021, Reliance Steel and Aluminum sees its diverse product portfolio and end markets as a buffer, executives said during an earnings call with analysts on Thursday, July 28. “Our product breadth is so diverse, which is part of the strategy and design,” company president Karla […]