• Skip to main content

    Prices

    December 15, 2014

    Weekly Raw Steel Production Steady

    Written by Brett Linton

    For the week ending December 13, 2014, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) estimated that the U.S. steel industry produced 1,880,000 net tons (NT) of raw steel, a 0.2 percent increase over the previous week and a 5.1 percent increase over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 78.2 percent, up from 78.0 percent last week and up from 74.6 percent last year.

    Estimated total raw steel produced for 2014 YTD is reported to be 91,880,000 tons, up 0.7 percent from the 91,233,000 tons produced during the same period in 2013. The average capacity utilization rate for 2014 YTD is estimated to be 77.1 percent, up from 76.8 percent for 2013 YTD. Note that there has been a change in production capability for 2014; comparisons between 2013 and 2014 capacity utilization rates are against different production levels, so the total tonnage figures are best suited for yearly comparisons.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Prices

    Mills seek more scrap after lower prices fail to attract tons

    Several mills that bought October scrap early last week are still asking for additional supplies, scrap market participants said. The reason: the mills' initial prices did not attract enough of the raw material, they said. A trading source based in northern Ohio said three mills have contacted his firm seeking offers for additional tons. He said the mills asked for offers even if prices were higher than their original buys last week.

    Nucor increases spot HR to $1,240/ton

    Nucor said on Monday, Oct. 12, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil will be $1,240 per short ton (st) this week, a $10/st increase from a week earlier. The CSP for HR coil from California Steel Industries (CSI) on the West Coast will be $1,305/st, up $15/st from the prior week. Nucor is still offering lead times of three to five weeks, according to the letter to customers. You can track mill price announcements on our website. Steel Market Update (SMU) published a weekly price assessment on Tuesday, Oct. 6, showing HR coil prices averaging $1,270/st, up $10/st from the previous week. We will update our prices on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 13.