Swedish steelmaker SSAB expects the heavy plate market in North America to remain relatively stable, reporting solid demand across most of its customer segments. SSAB Americas, which is made up of steel and plate production at its 1.25-million-tons-per-year mill in Montpelier, Iowa, reported increased operating profits in the second quarter despite lower year-on-year shipments. This […]
New sheet and plate capacity from Nucor will be entering the market in force by the end of this year, just in time for an anticipated increase in infrastructure demand, company executives said. Whether those facilities ramp up to their nameplate capacity will ultimately depend on demand, they added. “While we recognize there is considerable […]
Once again, nearly nine out of ten steel executives reported that mills are willing to talk price to secure an order, according to buyers polled in this week’s steel market survey. Now standing at a five-month high, this high negotiation rate is similar to what we saw in early July. A high willingness to negotiate […]
Steel mill lead times through this week were relatively flat for sheet products and down slightly for plate, according to SMU’s latest market check. On average this week, lead times declined by 0.1 weeks across the board compared to early July and are down an average of 0.4 weeks compared to one month ago. Having […]
Nucor Corp. experienced another record quarter on strong shipments and steel prices. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steel company saw robust demand from the nonresidential construction markets, with notable profitability at its bar and plate mills as well as within its raw materials segment. Although a decrease is expected in the current quarter’s earnings, profitability should remain […]
Leaders of the American steel industry gathered with members of the Congressional Steel Caucus on Wednesday in Washington, to discuss the state of the industry and how Congress can continue to support this critically important sector of the economy. Topics of discussion at the Caucus hearing included building and supporting critical supply chains and domestic manufacturing, […]
US plate prices have been holding steady and bucking the downtrend presently seen across sheet and coated products. Plate demand has remained largely steady, while buyers have maintained lean inventories, only taking volumes to fill gaps. The price dynamic has led to historically high premiums over hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices. Presently, plate prices are more […]
Algoma Steel Group Inc. has reached a tentative labor agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) union local representing its salaried workers, both parties confirmed. USW Local 2724 – which represents technical, professional and front-line supervisors – will hold ratification votes on the tentative pact from July 21-25. The union said in an update to members […]
SMU’s average hot-rolled coil prices dropped below $900 per ton ($45 per cwt) for the first time since December 2020. And some sources, citing short lead times and spotty demand, said they see little reason for the trend to reverse in the short term. SMU’s hot-rolled coil prices now stand at $875 per ton ($43.75 […]
Flat Rolled = 55 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 54.7 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat rolled inventories edged up in June. At the end of June, service centers carried 55 shipping days of supply on an adjusted basis, according to SMU data. This was up from 54.7 shipping days […]
Steel plate supplier Leeco Steel has completed an expansion at its facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The expansion added 30,000 square feet to the existing 45,000 square feet of warehouse space, which was originally opened by Leeco in January 2020. “Leeco’s Canadian customer base is rapidly expanding, and we outgrew our existing warehouse space,” Leeco […]
We are now 38 days away from the start of the 2022 SMU Steel Summit Conference. Registrations are now approaching 900 attendees and we still expect another 200+ executives to register over the next five weeks. If you have not yet registered, you can do so by clicking here. The following companies registered for the […]
SSAB Americas will hold its raw materials surcharge, or RMS, on #1 Heavy Melting Scrap (HMS) unchanged effective July 31 on all spot orders and all contractual agreements. The Mobile, Ala-based steelmaker said the sideways move was due to a declining HMS #1 price tag, which is currently valued at $351 per gross ton, and […]
We are now 38 days away from the start of the 2022 SMU Steel Summit Conference. Registrations are now approaching 900 attendees and we still expect another 200+ executives to register over the next five weeks. The following companies registered for the conference over the past few days (those with an * mean more than […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) and United States Steel Corp. got underway with master contract bargaining talks this week, and they got straight down to business, according an update sent to union members. The USW struck a hopeful tone in early talks with Cliffs. The tone in an update on bargaining with USS was more business-like. The notice […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. both seem eager to get a new labor pact done quickly, with potentially few hurdles along the way, statements by both parties indicate. The USW provided members with an upbeat report following an initial round of master contract bargaining with the Cleveland-based steelmaker. Meetings were held in Pittsburgh […]
TA Services has opened a new location on the site of Nucor Steel Hertford in Cofield, N.C., providing immediate access to truckload capacity for plate products produced at the mill. The logistics provider broke ground on the mill site in January of this year. The Nucor Steel Hertford mill, with an annual capacity of 1.7 […]
Total mill shipments of steel products grew in May, after shrinking the month prior. May’s mill shipments totaled 8.38 million tons, a 3.1% increase from April’s 8.12 million tons. Apparent supply also recovered in May, up 3.9% versus the prior month. This analysis is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute […]
Imported sheet and plate products arrived at US ports at a slower pace in May, resulting in them accounting for a lower share of the domestic market, according to Commerce Department data. Imports’ share of US sheet and plate markets peaked in December, reaching their highest levels in the past 4.5 years. The trend was […]
SMU canvassed steel buyers on a variety of subjects including steel prices, supply and demand, and new mill capacity on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Rather than summarizing the comments received, we are sharing them in each buyer’s own words. Want to have your voice heard and share your comments with SMU? Contact Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com […]
Sheet prices continued to slide this week and plate prices to defy gravity. If there is an upside, it’s that the pace of sheet declines has moderated slightly. SMU’s hot-rolled coil price now stands at $910 per ton ($45.50 per cwt), down $45 per ton from $955 per ton a week ago and down $190 […]
US steel exports fell 4% in May to 793,000 net tons, further declining from a 45-month high in March, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. On a 12-month moving average (12MMA), May exports have reached a 3+ year record high. Total May exports are 7% higher than levels seen one year ago. As shown […]
A second local United Steelworkers (USW) chapter at Algoma Steel has voted to authorize a strike. Local 2274 held a vote on the matter late last week, and 95.1% voted in favor of a strike mandate, according to an update to union members. Algoma, a Canadian sheet and plate mill, is represented by two unions: […]
Sheet steel prices declined last week for the eleventh week in a row, while plate prices have remained relatively stable in comparison, according to SMU’s price indices published last Tuesday. Plate prices typically carry a premium over hot rolled prices because plate is a value-added product and requires more time on the mill. SMU’s hot […]
Final Census data reveals that May steel imports totaled 2.75 million net tons, just 17,000 tons higher than April, but down 11% from March’s 26-month high of 3.09 million tons. June import licenses are at 2.79 million tons through July 6th data, (up from 2.29 million tons last week), now in line with April and […]
Steel mill lead times continued to shorten into July for both sheet and plate products, according to our latest market check this week. On average this week, lead times declined by 0.3 weeks compared to late June and are down an average of half a week compared to one month prior. Having gradually declined from […]
Nearly nine out of ten steel executives polled this week reported that mills are willing to talk price to secure an order, according to our latest steel market survey. A high willingness to negotiate has been evident in our market checks since early May and now stands at the highest level since early February 2022. […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) is preparing to start master contract bargaining with US Steel in the first half of July, according to communications sent to union members. Local union chapters will send representatives to the master negotiations, which are being held in Pittsburgh and which will likely begin next week, a union spokesman told Steel […]
We are now ~45 days away from the start of the 2022 SMU Steel Summit Conference, which is being held at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta on Aug. 22-24. Registrations are nearing 900 executives representing 318 separate companies. Over the past few days the following companies have registered (an * means more than […]
Nucor is keeping plate prices flat with the opening of its August 2022 order book. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said it would maintain plate prices, effective with new orders. All published adders and extras will be applied, the company said in a letter to customers dated June 30. In its previous letter to customers dated June 13, Nucor […]