• Skip to main content

    Overseas

    Spread Between World & US Hot Rolled Coil Pricing Narrows

    Written by John Packard


    The spread (variance) between World export prices for hot rolled coil compared to the average for hot rolled coil prices east of the Mississippi based on the Steel Market Update HRC index is shrinking.

    World export hot rolled coil (HRC) price is currently $505 per net ton FOB the port of export. When freight, loading and unloading charges and a small margin for the trading company are added the landed price for foreign hot rolled coil is closer to $575 per ton.

    Latest in Overseas

    Price on Trade: Steel’s zero-sum game

    During the first three quarters of 2026, finished steel imports from South Korea increased 50.8% compared with the same period in 2025. Imports from Vietnam increased 23.4%, imports from Turkey increased 49.5%, and imports from India increased 29.5%. Those are not marginal increases. They are substantial import surges, especially in a US market where apparent domestic consumption has bounced around but has not grown since 2017. More importantly, these import surges are arriving at lower average unit values (AUVs).