Steel Products Prices North America

Global Steel Production and Capacity Utilization, March 2014
Written by Peter Wright
April 22, 2014
Production in March was at an all-time high of 141.3 million tonnes and increase of 15.4 million tonnes from February. This jump has become normal for the month of March which for the last three years was the highest month of the year. The three month moving average (3MMA) of production was at an annual rate of 1.616 billion tonnes with a capacity utilization of 77.8, also a 3MMA, (Figure 1).
Capacity is now 2.076 billion tonnes. Table 1 shows regional production in March with regional share of the global total, also three months production through March and YTD production(which is the same thing this month.) In the three months through March y/y growth was 2.2 percent. All regions except the CIS and South America had positive y/y growth in the three months through March with the European Union continuing to lead the way. The growth of China’s steel output has slowed for each of the last five months on a 3MMA basis and in March was 1.9 percent, down from 12.4 percent in March last year. It is still too soon to tell if the growth of China’s production really is being reigned in but the signs are encouraging. North America and China produced 7.3 percent and 49.7 percent of the global total in March, respectively, which was the exact same as February. Source World Steel Association.

Peter Wright
Read more from Peter WrightLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet Rebounds – Sustainable Rally or Dead-Cat Bounce?
Sheet prices rose this week on the heels of a price increase announced by Cleveland-Cliffs last week that was quietly followed by other mills.

Plate Report: Mills Hold the Line Despite Slowing Demand
US plate prices have been relatively flat this year, especially when compared to sheet products. Case in point; SMU's plate prices stands at $1,455 per ton ($72.75 per cwt) on average, down 7% from a $1,560 per ton peak in April. Our HRC price is at $645 per ton, down 44% from an April peak of $1,160 per ton.

Nucor Maintains Plate Prices
Nucor Corp. will keep plate prices unchanged with the opening of its November order book.

Most Mills Still Willing To Negotiate Lower Sheet and Plate Prices: SMU Survey
The overall steel mill negotiation rate remained level this week vs. two weeks earlier, but plate’s rate fell by 15 percentage points, according to SMU’s most recent survey data.
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet Declines Moderate – Meaning or Noise?
Hot-rolled coil prices were down again this week, continuing a streak of week-over-week (WoW) declines that began in early/mid-July.