Tag: Pig Iron

Prices for ore-based metallics were mixed month-on-month (MoM) as lower finished steel production weighs on pig iron demand.

The pig iron trade is an important element to the US steel and foundry industry.

Some of the movements in scrap and pig iron pricing over the past 18-24 months have been quite drastic.

U.S. Steel expects earnings to drop in the third quarter vs. the prior quarter and the same period a year earlier as the company adjusts production because of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union strike.

Mixed trends were observed in prices of ore-based metallics as demand stayed subdued in Europe and the US. Buying activity had been limited in the US due to several upcoming mill outages and ahead of the UAW strike. However, prices have found stability despite declines in prices of prime grades of scrap. In the CIS, […]

The more of you I talk to, the more the question seems to be not whether the United Auto Workers (UAW) will strike later this week but instead for how long. You’re also asking whether the UAW will target one union-represented automaker or whether it might take the unprecedented step of walking out at Ford, […]

Leading voices in US the scrap industry discussed the current outlook and future challenges at Steel Summit 2023’s panel on Scrap and Metallics: Navigating the Boom in EAF Sheet Production.

I planned to write this column about some of the big themes we’ll be discussing at Steel Summit. That plan changed when U.S. Steel announced on Sunday afternoon that it was conducting a formal review of a sale of all or part of the company after receiving multiple unsolicited offers. It changed yet again when Cleveland-Cliffs said its offer for U.S. Steel had been rejected.

While Canadian integrated steelmaker Stelco remains committed to decarbonization its steelmaking operations, it has no plans to convert to electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, nor to buy an EAF steelmaker anytime soon.

There is a lot going on at SMU right now. We’re going to be rolling out a new website over the next few days. We’ve also got more than 1,200 people registered to attend Steel Summit this year, putting us on pace to potentially break last year’s attendance record of nearly 1,300. The event is […]

Steel prices and shipment volumes will probably be lower in the third quarter than they were in the second, U.S. Steel executives said.

Over the last month, the iron ore price has shown more weakness as fewer participants in the market maintain a positive outlook based on more stimulus measures in China. Simultaneously, on the supply side, Australia followed seasonal trends with a marginal y/y increase. Recovered Brazilian volumes have also begun to weigh on the market. Supply […]

Over the last month, the iron ore price has shown more weakness as fewer participants in the market maintain a positive outlook based on more stimulus measures in China. Simultaneously, on the supply side, Australia followed seasonal trends with a marginal y/y increase. Recovered Brazilian volumes have also begun to weigh on the market. Supply […]

On Steel Market Update’s most recent Community Chat, we caught up with Timna Tanners, managing director of Wolfe Research, to hear her latest take on the steel market.

On Steel Market Update’s most recent Community Chat, we caught up with Timna Tanners, managing director of Wolfe Research, to hear her latest take on the steel market. Tanners chatted with SMU managing editor Michael Cowden about the myth of mill discipline within the sheet market. The market isn’t much more disciplined than a few […]

Next month is expected to bring some stability after months of falling scrap prices, with sources seeing the market as sideways. “The July market expectations are soft sideways,” one scrap source told SMU. “A stable export market combined with reduced inbound scrap flows should halt the recent run of large price drops.” He said that […]

Metallics prices have fallen in most global markets over the last month, driven by weak steel demand and improved metallics supply. Lower finished steel prices and EAF margins have weighed heavily on metallics prices across major markets. Scrap bids from key buyers have reduced further amid ample availability, while recent pig iron price cuts have […]

Go figure, in the last month, HR spot has continued to decline. The index tied to CME HR futures has given up $140/ST ($1,130/ST to $990/ST). A look at the fundamentals would appear to support the latest market direction. The list includes declining steelmaking component prices (zinc, coking coal, iron ore and scrap), a sharply […]

Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, contact Lindsey Fox at lindsey@steelmarketupdate.com. Prices of steelmaking raw materials have been largely on the decline over the last 30 days, as they were the month prior, the exception being pig […]

Scrap price falls have continued, now affecting all major markets. Previously, the market weakness was due to macroeconomic concerns but is now due to weak steel demand. Turkish scrap buying has been underwhelming, while Chinese scrap consumption has been reeling back as the steel outlook turns sour. Poor Steel Demand and Production Weigh on Scrap […]

The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) for May fell by 6.6% month over month (m/m) to 331.0, registering its sharpest m/m decline since July 2022. While Turkish demand for metallics has stayed underwhelming due to lower-than-expected reconstruction works, steelmakers elsewhere have adopted a wait-and-see approach until steel prices stabilize. Sharp reductions in steel prices were […]

Cleveland-Cliffs has successfully completed a hydrogen (H2) injection trial at its Middletown Works blast furnace in Ohio.  “This groundbreaking introduction of hydrogen gas as an iron-reducing agent in the blast furnace is the first-ever use of this carbon friendly technology in the Americas region,” the Cleveland-based steelmaker said in a statement on Monday. Cliffs noted […]

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 […]

CRU expects metallics prices to continue trending down in May 2023 as supply will continue to outpace demand in most markets.  In the US, obsolete scrap prices are expected to move lower as the inflow to scrap yards will pick up seasonally, and dealers get more inclined to sell. In Europe, the macroeconomic environment will […]

Voestalpine AG is set to commission the construction of two electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) in Austria. The Linz, Austria-based company said the approval stage has been reached allowing for the investment of around €1.5 billion ($1.62 bilion) to construct one EAF in Linz and another in Donawitz. As part of its “greentec steel” plan, the plant and […]

The CRU metallics price indicator (CRUmpi) for March increased by 7.4% month-on-month to 357.7, the highest level since last June. The main developments have been in Turkey, where the tragic earthquake initially had a negative effect on scrap buying from the largest scrap importing country, though in the second half of February this quickly turned […]

US Steel has restarted the No. 8 blast furnace at its Gary Works in northwest Indiana. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said it restarted the furnace in early March in response to improving demand and rising prices. The company had idled the No. 8 furnace in September, citing difficult market conditions and competition from imports. It hinted […]

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) expects lower first-quarter 2023 earnings on costs related to its Sinton, Texas, flat-roll mill and the continued work-through of higher-priced pig iron purchased in 2022. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker expects Q1 earnings in the range of $3.47 to $3.51 per diluted share. This is down from $3.61 per diluted share […]

What’s perhaps most shocking about Cleveland-Cliffs starting the week up $100 per ton ($5 per cwt) on sheet and targeting $1,200 per ton for hot-rolled coil (HRC) is that many of you didn’t find it shocking. In early February, we got used to prices going up by $50 per ton from one week to the […]

The steel industry in the US, and across much of the developed world, finds itself between two greens. On the one hand is the constant innovation towards sustainable, decarbonized “green” steel. And, on the other, is a more traditional green, the bottom line: money. The hope is to keep the two aligned, increasing profits while […]