On Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, Nucor Sheet Mill Group advised their customers that galvanized orders placed for the first week of January 2018 would have new zinc coating extras. The change in the extras is due to the high cost of zinc, which has been trading in the $1.45-$1.50 per pound range over the past […]
Nucor Corp. plans to invest $180 million in a full-range merchant bar quality mill at its existing bar steel mill in Bourbonnais, Ill. The MBQ mill, which will take two years to complete, will have an annual capacity of 500,000 tons. The Midwest region is one of the largest markets for MBQ products, and Nucor […]
Nucor became the first sheet mill to step out and attempt to nudge hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized steel prices higher. On Wednesday afternoon the Nucor Sheet Group announced a new $30 per ton ($1.50/cwt) price increase to be “effective immediately.” The Nucor announcement was quickly matched by NLMK USA who put a letter […]
Over the past few days, all of the domestic plate mills have announced a $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) price increase on plate products. We have seen announcements out of the Nucor Plate Group, ArcelorMittal USA commercial plate group, Evraz and SSAB. SSAB was the last to announce with their letter dated Nov. 16, 2017. In […]
Nucor became the first sheet mill to step out and attempt to nudge hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized steel prices higher. This afternoon (Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017) the Nucor Sheet Group announced a new $30 per ton ($1.50/cwt) price increase to be “effective immediately.” The Nucor price increase follows a plate and hot rolled […]
Flat rolled steel prices were mixed this past week. Benchmark hot rolled continues to be one of the better performing of the group. Our HRC average was up $5 per ton this week. Cold rolled was also up, galvanized was sideways and Galvalume dropped $30 per ton. Plate prices on a delivered basis were up […]
The expectation, even among the naysayers, is there will be a bounce in flat rolled prices once lead times reach the end of December and into the New Year. The expectation is that the domestic steel mills will raise prices in the coming days. We have heard rumors that the first mill to move may […]
Flat rolled steel prices were mixed this week. There was no clear-cut direction being set, although the expectation is for prices to rise once lead times go into January. For that matter, we did hear from some steel buyers who placed December HRC orders for $600 per ton and at the same time placed January […]
A couple of weeks ago, ArcelorMittal USA announced price increases taking flat rolled steel base prices on hot rolled to $625 per ton and $41.25/cwt base on cold rolled and galvanized. We have yet to see spot prices out of the domestic steel mills reach the prices suggested by AMUSA. The rest of the industry […]
On Monday, SSAB sent a letter to customers advising of the company’s intention to raise spot transaction prices by a minimum of $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) effective immediately. The increase covers all “…As-Rolled Mill Plate, Cut-to-Length Plate >72”, Hot Rolled Coils >72”, as well as Normalized and Quenched & Tempered Plate.” SSAB also advised that […]
Ferrous scrap prices for the month of November began coming into focus on Friday with SMU scrap sources advising prime grades as being down $10 per gross ton compared to October levels. Obsolete and cut grades were reported as trading sideways (same prices as October). Not all regions are trading at the same pricing or […]
We have been watching the market very carefully looking for signs of a complete change in momentum, which would spur prices to move higher over time. We are finding hot rolled and cold rolled prices strengthening at the lower end of the range, and there have been some adjustments to coated products on a weekly […]
We did a quick check of lead times at a number of domestic steel mills on Friday of this past week. This is what we learned: Steel Dynamics Industries (SDI) – Butler, Ind. HR – closed for November production Pickled – closed for November production CR – closed for November production HRG – 11/20 (4 […]
In a preliminary ruling on Wednesday, the Commerce Department found that seven countries have sold carbon and alloy steel wire rod in the United States at less than fair value. Subject to antidumping duties ranging from 2 to 148 percent are imports from Italy, Korea, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Wire […]
Two representatives of steel intensive regions will co-chair the Congressional Steel Caucus, Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Mike Bost (R-IL). Crawford’s 1st Congressional District in Arkansas was a farming region three decades ago when the Caucus was founded. Today, it hosts Nucor-Steel Yamato, Nucor Steel Arkansas, and Big River Steel, making it the second largest […]
Two representatives of steel intensive regions will co-chair the Congressional Steel Caucus, Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Mike Bost (R-IL). Crawford’s 1st Congressional District in Arkansas was a farming region three decades ago when the Caucus was founded. Today, it hosts Nucor-Steel Yamato, Nucor Steel Arkansas and Big River Steel, making it the second largest […]
It has only been one week since ArcelorMittal USA increased flat rolled steel prices. As the week progressed, it became obvious that steel mills were reacting to the price announcements in different ways. We heard from steel buyers that some mills withdrew open quoted pricing and repriced at new levels at least $40 per ton […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) found steel buyers receptive to speaking their minds on how various steel mills are responding to the price increase announcements made last week. It appears mills with shorter lead times are perhaps a little more receptive to waiving part or all of the increases. Other mills have better order books and […]
Wholesaler/distributors who sell galvanized steel products to the HVAC market are waiting anxiously to see what happens to prices in the coming weeks. In the monthly steel conference call hosted today by the Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International, HARDI members asked two key questions: Will the mills be able to collect the flat roll […]
The supply of trucks available to transport steel is tightening, more so because of a man-made state of affairs than the recent natural disasters. “The storms didn’t help, but they are not the big driver. It’s getting into compliance with the new ELD regulations,” said a service center executive in the Southeast. “The hurricanes have […]
Many of the domestic steel mills raised prices on Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week. ArcelorMittal USA lead the way by announcing specific “minimum” base prices on hot rolled ($625 per ton), and cold rolled and galvanized steels ($825 per ton each). The other mills all announced $40 per ton price increases (which to […]
We have an article in tonight’s newsletter from Mario Briccetti that I want to make sure is not misconstrued as a criticism of the domestic steel mills. The Kobe Steel violation of trust by certifying test results for tests that were not conducted has created some unease here in the United States. It is Steel […]
On Tuesday of this week, ArcelorMittal USA announced new “minimum” base pricing on hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized products. On Wednesday, Nucor and North Star BlueScope followed with increase announcements of their own of $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt). This morning (Thursday), NLMK USA emailed a letter to their customers advising of their intention to […]
John Ferriola, chairman, president and CEO of Nucor Corp., has been named vice chairman of the World Steel Association board of directors. Ferriola will serve a one-year term with the Brussels-based trade association. Named as chairman of the worldsteel board was Kosei Shindo, president of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metals Corp. Ohjoon Kwon, CEO of […]
The delay by the Trump administration in making a decision on Section 232 is allowing further damage to the steel industry, said Nucor CEO, Chairman and President John Ferriola during the company’s third-quarter conference call. Ferriola said he is not surprised by the surge of imports that have come into the U.S. since spring. Countries […]
Late this afternoon, the Nucor Sheet Group sent a written note to customers advising them of a $40 per ton ($2.00/cwt) price increase on spot orders of hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized steel. This follows the announcement by ArcelorMittal USA yesterday, taking spot base prices to $625 per ton on hot rolled and $825 […]
Flat rolled steel prices continued their slow slog south (prices are moving lower). The pace has not accelerated, but there are questions as to whether some of the mills are cutting “quiet” deals in order to fill their fourth-quarter order book without giving the steel away. One service center put it to us this way: […]
Prior to the ArcelorMittal USA price increase announcement, Steel Market Update analysis of steel prices found flat rolled steel prices continuing their slow slog south (prices are moving lower). The pace has not accelerated, but there are questions as to whether some of the steel mills are cutting “quiet” deals in order to fill their […]
The next Steel 101 steel training workshop will be held in Mobile, Ala., and will include a tour of the SSAB Mobile minimill. Registration is open, and the workshop currently is almost half full. “SMU Steel 101 is a great learning tool for anyone working in the steel industry in any position. I wish I […]
As the afternoon turned into evening, I began hearing rumors that a flat rolled price increase would be announced “soon.” I heard from a service center who was texting us from his car (a definite no-no) telling SMU that a yet to be named (by us) mill was moving prices. We are still waiting for […]