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 Flat Rolled = 52.9 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 45.8 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat-rolled steel supply in January reflected typical […]
Sheet prices rose again this week as a blitz of $50-per-ton ($2.50/cwt) price hikes spurred the market higher. Steel Market Update’s hot-rolled coil price now stands at $825 per ton, up $15 per ton from last week and nearing the highest levels we’ve seen since late July. The difference: HRC prices were on their way […]
Algoma Steel said lower production volumes and steel selling prices, as well as the jump in the price of key inputs, hit its fiscal Q3 earnings as the company swung to a loss. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based steelmaker posted a net loss of Canadian $69.8 million ($52.3 million USD) in its 3Q ended Dec. […]
US steel exports decreased in December compared to November, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. December’s exports total stood at 592,060 tons vs. 697,447 tons the previous month. December was the lowest volume month for 2022. In comparison to recent years, export levels were relatively high for the majority of 2022. Of our six monitored product groups […]
The Covid-19-related shutdowns and subsequent supply chain disruptions emphasized the importance of onshoring. Geopolitical uncertainty, the war in Ukraine, and recent sovereign security issues, have added to global supply chain concerns. In the US, new legislation, the IRA, USMCA, and Build Back Better have focused on securing and bolstering North American manufacturing conditions. The task […]
SMU’s hot-rolled coil price has cracked $800 per ton ($40 per cwt), and so have prices on the futures market. The question of whether the $800-per-ton threshold would be breached has been answered. But it’s still unclear to me whether that threshold was breached by solid underlying demand or by momentum (buying ahead of the next […]
Preliminary Census data indicate that steel imports will have totaled 2.48 million net tons for the month of January. While up nearly 13% from the prior month, January levels are still down more than 3% compared to the previous 12-month average. Recall that monthly import levels declined nearly 17% month on month (MoM) in November, […]
Sheet prices continue to rise, extending a rally that began the week after Thanksgiving. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price is now above $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) for the first time since early August, roughly six months ago. At $810 per ton on average, HRC prices are up $30 per ton from $780 per ton […]
US plate prices have been largely stable since the beginning of December after tags fell by $140 per ton following Nucor’s price cut notice at the end of November with the opening of it January order book. A move that caught many by surprise at the time. But since then, plate prices have varied by […]
Steel mill lead times have remained flat despite rising prices, according to SMU’s latest market survey. SMU’s hot-rolled lead time is approximately 5 weeks, unchanged from our last check of the market two weeks ago. Cold-rolled lead times remained at roughly 6.6 weeks, similar to two weeks ago. Galvanized inched up to 6.3 weeks from 6.1 weeks. […]
The percentage of steel buyers polled finding that mills are willing to negotiate prices rebounded above 50% this week vs. two weeks ago, according to SMU data. Of the products surveyed, plate notched the only decrease in mills willing to talk price, falling to 30% compared with 63% at the last market check. Every two […]
Sheet prices rose again this week, continuing a rally that began shortly after Thanksgiving. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price stands at $780 per ton ($39 per cwt), up $20 per ton from $760 per ton last week and up $165 per ton from a 2022 low of $615 per ton recorded in November. HRC prices haven’t […]
We’ll kick off the Tampa Steel Conference next Sunday, and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you there in person. For kicks, I decided to look back at how the market was in mid-February 2022, when we held the event along with the Port of Tampa Bay last year. So join me for a […]
The big story of the new year continues to be the run-up of the regional Midwest premium (MWP). As January comes to an end, the MWP sits just over $0.30/lb, or almost 50% higher than December’s price. A return of market activity in general has pushed the premium back up closer to replacement cost levels. […]
Strong plate prices and a stronger US dollar helped SSAB Americas record higher earnings in the fourth quarter vs. the same quarter in 2021. But Swedish parent company SSAB said plate prices have decreased from previous high levels. “We saw that prices decreased somewhat in Q4 from very high levels, but all in all, a […]
Nucor Corp. shipped its first customer order from its new $1.7-billion plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky., on Jan. 25, Allen Behr, executive VP of plate and structural products, said on an earnings conference call with analysts on Thursday, Jan. 26. “We are sitting here today exactly where we wanted to be,” said Behr when addressing […]
Nucor Corp. will keep plate prices unchanged with the opening of its March order book. The steelmaker has now maintained its plate tags since its sharp price cut in late November. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said the move was effective on Jan. 26, according to a letter to customers. Published adders and extras will continue to […]
Sheet prices continued to inch upward as most market participants reported solid first-quarter demand, despite concerns in some corners about 2H activity. But the pace of price gains appears to have slowed, at least temporarily, and lead times have leveled off as well. Any significant additional sheet price gains will hinge less on mill announcements […]
Preliminary Census data indicate that steel imports totaled 2.24 million net tons for the month of December. This is up 11% compared to November, a slight rebound month on month (MoM) after recording the lowest level since February 2021 the month prior. Import levels had been gradually falling since reaching a 26-month high in March […]
JSW Steel USA operating results were mixed in its fiscal third quarter of 2023, with operations at Mingo Junction, Ohio, posting a decline, while the Baytown, Texas, plate and pipe mill improved in the quarter vs. the previous year. Mingo Junction swung to a loss on EBITDA of $22.77 million in its third quarter ended […]
US steel export volumes remained relatively flat in November compared to October, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. November’s exports total stood at 697,447 tons vs. 697,399 tons the previous month. October remains the lowest volume export month for 2022. In comparison to recent years, export levels had remained high for the majority of 2022. Of our six monitored […]
Nucor Corp. has introduced its new sustainable, heavy-gauge steel plate “Elcyon.” The product will be made exclusively for the US offshore wind energy sector, and will be manufactured at Nucor’s new $1.7-billion ultramodern plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky. “By launching Elcyon at Brandenburg we have effectively created the first domestic supply chain of sustainable steel for our […]
The London Metal Exchnage aluminium three-month price was moving up again this week, and peaked near $2,650 per tonne– its highest level since June 13, 2022, but late week trading saw a $100 correction. Still $200-300 higher than on the close of 2022, we can only assume a return to volatility following a 2022 Q4 […]
Steel mill lead times were flat to down this week, declining by an average of 0.5 weeks across all five products we track. Steel buyers reported mill lead times ranging from 4 to 6 weeks for hot rolled and plate, and 5 to 8 weeks for cold rolled, galvanized, and Galvalume. SMU’s hot-rolled lead time […]
We’ve seen several sheet price hike announcements from mills over the past couple of months, to the tune of $160 per ton ($8.00 per cwt) since late November. This week alone we’ve seen at minimum Cleveland-Cliffs and ArcelorMittal officially increase spot prices for steel sheet by at least another $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). […]
SSAB Americas has announced plans to increase plate prices by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). The price hike applies equally to as-rolled, normalized, quenched-and-tempered, and wide cut-to-length plate products. It is effective immediately on all new, non-contract orders confirmed to ship the week of March 5 or later, the company said in […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers (USW) union have filed a trade case targeting imports of tin mill products from eight countries. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said the petition seeks antidumping duties against imports of tin- and chromium-coated sheet steel from Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The case […]
Sheet prices continued to inch upward this week as market participants debated whether a third round of price increases from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. would gain traction. Those who thought the $50-per-ton price hike would stick pointed to higher scrap costs, solid demand, and new capacity still struggling to ramp up. Those who questioned whether the increases […]
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, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Total US mill shipments of steel products slipped in November and reached their lowest total year to date (YTD). Mill shipments have been fluctuating up and down all year […]
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, email Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Flat Rolled = 61.2 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 57.3 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat-rolled steel supply spiked in December, in line […]