Mills are increasingly holding firm on higher prices. The result: the buyer’s market we saw at the beginning of the year is offically over. Every two weeks, Steel Market Update asks buyers: Are you finding domestic mills willing to negotiate spot pricing on new orders placed this week? The overwhelming majority of steel buyers polled this […]
Preliminary Census data shows that steel imports in February fell 23% month-over-month to 2.34 million net tons, falling from a two-year high to an 11-month low. March import licenses through March 28 are currently at 2.69 million tons, up 15% from February but down 12% compared to January. Total finished steel imports are preliminarily at 1.85 million tons in February, down 19% from […]
Sheet prices continue to rise with new, higher offers from some domestic mills: as much as $1,500 per ton for hot-rolled coil and $1,900 per ton for cold-rolled and coated product. Despite those higher pricing levels, gains on the hot-rolled side have moderated. SMU’s benchmark hot-rolled coil price now stands at $1,435 per ton ($71.75 […]
When I first started writing Steel Market Update back in 2004, its purpose was to assist my steel buying clients by supplying information necessary for them to be proactive in their decision-making process in a volatile steel market. Its purpose did not change in 2008 when I started the newsletter as a publication for a […]
The US Commerce Department has decided to continue anti-dumping duties on cut-to-length plate from a dozen nations. It has also determined that countervailing duties – more than 250% – on plate from China should remain in place. The Sun Doesn’t Set on Steel Duties Those decisions follow an expedited “sunset” review that began on December […]
Algoma Steel Group Inc. expects modestly lower shipments and production volumes in its fiscal fourth quarter because of supply chain bottlenecks and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based steelmaker forecasts shipments of 540,000-550,000 tons in the fourth quarter and adjusted EBITDA of CAD $310 million to $320 million (USD […]
Steel prices continued to shoot upward at a breakneck pace as mills raced to keep ahead of spiraling raw material costs. Supply chain shocks caused by Russian forces’ invasion of Ukraine have led to higher pig iron prices, expectations of big gains in scrap prices next month – and all that comes on top of already […]
Northbrook, Ill.-based Hilco Global’s subsidiary, Hilco Industrial Acquisitions, B.V, acquired for resale all assets of ThyssenKrupp’s heavy plate rolling mill located in Duisburg-Hüttenheim, Germany. Prior to its shuttering last September, ThyssenKrupp’s rolling mill produced roughly 850,000 metric tons of heavy plate steel, the company said. Besides the rolling mill, the Amsterdam-based asset management and financial […]
Mexico has extended for another five years its existing countervailing duties against imports of Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian steel plate. The trade policy has been in effect since 2005; the latest determination is retroactive to Sept. 22, 2020. Following a filing from domestic producer Altos Horns de Mexico (AHMSA), the Mexican secretariat’s determination “established sufficient […]
Steel mill lead times appear to be extending again. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows lead times for orders of flat rolled and plate products increasing by an average of 1.2 weeks. Buyers polled this week by SMU reported mill lead times ranging from 4-8 weeks for hot rolled, 5-8 weeks […]
Nucor will implement a biweekly update to its current fuel surcharge effective Thursday, April 3, for some steel products. Certain divisions of the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said the move was necessary because “fuel prices are at all-time high levels,” in letters to customers dated Wednesday, March 16. SMU has seen matching letters from the company’s […]
Sheet prices saw their biggest week-over-week gains – and by a wide margin – since Steel Market Update’s foundation in 2008. Case in point: SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price jumped to $1,260 per ton this week ($63 per cwt), up $210 per ton (20%) from $1,050 per ton last week. That is more than double […]
Sheet prices saw their biggest week-over-week gains – and by a wide margin – since Steel Market Update’s foundation in 2008. Case in point: SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price jumped to $1,260 per ton this week ($63 per cwt), up $210 per ton (20%) from $1,050 per ton last week. That is more than double […]
SSAB Americas has increased plate prices by $63 per ton ($3.15 per cwt) based on a raw materials surcharge mechanism unveiled last week. The Mobile, Ala.-based steelmaker said the higher prices would apply to all new spot orders as well as both new and existing contractual agreements effective April 3. The company reiterated that the […]
By CRU Principal Analyst Matthew Watkins, part of CRU’s steel series, March 14. The EU announced it will “prohibit the import of key goods in the iron and steel sector from the Russian Federation.” We do not yet have details of what goods these are, but we can look at trade flows between the two […]
Flat Rolled = 54.4 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 51.1 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled U.S. service center flat rolled inventories continued to recede in February, indicating that inventories may be near balance. At the end of February, U.S. service centers carried 54.4 shipping days of supply on an adjusted basis, according to […]
U.S. steel exports rose 6% in January to 691,000 net tons, a partial recovery following December’s 10% drop, according to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce data. While the last few months have seen declining export levels, the 12-month moving average through January has reached a 34-month high. January exports are 3% higher than levels […]
Total mill shipments of steel products fell in January to 8.153 million tons, a 9.4% decline from December’s 8.995 million tons, 2021’s strongest monthly performance. Apparent supply also fell in January, down 7.6% versus the prior month, and unable to keep the upward trajectory seen during the final quarter of 2021. This analysis is based on steel […]
Everyone is searching for clarity. We are searching for clarity as well. There are many moving parts affecting the current market, and we are not sure what the future is going to look like just a few months from now. With Putin’s war against Ukraine, and the sanctions imposed by the United States, Europe, and […]
Steel Market Update’s hot-rolled coil price was at $1,050 per ton ($52.50 per hundredweight) last week. Several mills are now offering hot band at $1,200 per ton ($60 per cwt). I don’t know where things will settle when we adjust prices on Tuesday. But I think it’s fair to say that prices will be significantly […]
In his remarks during Wednesday’s Community Chat, Johnny Sjöström, the top executive at SSAB Special Steels, suggested that the fighting in Ukraine will make nations more gun-shy about becoming too dependent on their foreign trading partners. Nations in Europe and many other parts of the world are scrambling to maintain production without the exports of […]
“What a difference a war makes.” No disrespect meant to the suffering people of Ukraine, but more than one respondent to SMU’s survey this week noted the big effect the war is having on global steel prices. Steel sheet had lost nearly 50% of its value in the six months from last September to February. […]
The global steel industry will see ripple effects from the war in Ukraine for years to come. Its direct and indirect effects will cut European steel capacity by 30-40% in the near term as the conflict disrupts the flow of natural gas and steelmaking raw materials – most notably steel slabs from Russia, said Johnny […]
Nucor Corp. is increasing prices for discrete plate by $40 per ton ($2 per cwt), according to letters to customers. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker made the announcement on Wednesday, March 9, along with the opening of its April orderbook for plate. All published adders and extras will also be applied. “We reserve the right to […]
SSAB Americas will put in place a raw material surcharge (RMS) in response to skyrocketing raw material costs. The Mobile, Ala.-based steelmaker said the move was necessary because of “extraordinary market pressures brought on by recent global events,” in a letter to customers dated Wednesday, March 9. The global events in question are almost certainly a reference to […]
Hot-rolled coil prices are up an average up $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt) this week, breaking a six-month trend of flat or falling prices. And that gain might prove modest compared to what’s in store in the weeks ahead. Why? Because the war in Ukraine has the potential to shock the steel market at […]
Steel mill lead times remain short, but yielded minor upward movements this week for most products, based on Steel Market Update’s latest check of the market. SMU’s data on mill negotiations shows buyers still have the upper hand. Buyers polled this week by SMU reported mill lead times ranging from 2-6 weeks for hot rolled, […]
February marked month six of declining steel prices, following a 12-month streak of continuous price increases. Hot rolled prices declined $215 per ton throughout the month, with the SMU index averaging $1,020 per ton at the end of February (recall our HR average this week declined another $20 to $1,000 per ton). The SMU Price Momentum Indicator for sheet products was […]
Sheet prices fell again this week. But price declines for hot-rolled coil have slowed, with HRC tags down $20 per ton ($1 per cwt) and coalescing around $1,000 per ton. While some mills were reported to be cutting deals as low as $900 per ton, others were said to be mulling price hikes. Cold-rolled and […]
Preliminary Census data shows that steel imports in January rose 7% month-over-month to 3.08 million net tons, the highest monthly level seen in the past two years. February import licenses through March 1 are currently at 2.20 million tons, a 29% decline from January and down 24% compared to December. Note that the latest U.S. […]