Steel Products Prices North America

November Import License Requests Reach 3.9 Million Tons
Written by John Packard
December 2, 2014
The U.S. Department of Commerce released license data through today, December 2, 2015. Based on the latest data, there were 3,938,330 net tons of steel import license requests for the month of November. This does not mean that the U.S. actually received 3.9 million tons of steel imports during the month of November, but it does give us an indication as to the amount of steel coming. However, based on our experience with the months of July, August, September and October, the license number from the first week of the following month is within +/- 100,000 net tons. So, we believe when the Census data starts coming in later this month that November imports will be somewhere around 3.8 to 4.0 million net tons.
Compared to November 2013 when the U.S. received approximately 2.6 million net tons of total steel imports, this year will be up by approximately 52 percent if we achieve the 3.9 million ton level.
If you are curious and want to look at the November 2013 data and compare it against what we are producing below you can do so by logging into the website and looking under the Analysis tab – Imports/Exports and then Imports History. If you need help finding it – please let us know by email at: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Products Prices North America

Cliffs moves sheet prices higher, seeks $1,100/ton HRC
Cleveland-Cliffs is now targeting base prices of $1,100 per ton ($55 per cwt) for hot-rolled coil (HRC).

SMU price ranges: Sheet surge continues on limited spot availability
Sheet prices shot higher again this week on the heels of another round of mill price increases as well as on reports of production and supply chain issues at certain domestic producers.

Galvanized Sheet’s Premium Over Hot Rolled Hovering Around $200/Ton
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized sheet base prices has been hovering near $200 per net ton since late July, according to SMU’s latest analysis.

Plate Report: Quiet Turning to Sluggish?
The US plate market has been rather quiet over the past couple of weeks since Nucor Corp. caught many off guard with a $140-per-ton price cut.

SSAB’s Jeff Moskaluk on Wind’s Flurry of Opportunity for Steel
SMU discussed wind energy, a promising end-use market for steel, with SSAB Americas’ SVP and CCO Jeff Moskaluk.