• Skip to main content

    Prices

    May Apparent Steel Supply Down 12.1% Over Last Year

    Written by Brett Linton


    According to the latest data released from the US Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute, apparent steel supply for the month of May 2015 was 9,069,541 net tons. Apparent steel supply is calculated by adding domestic steel shipments and finished US steel imports and subtracting total US steel exports.

    May supply represents a 1,252,207 ton or 12.1 percent decrease compared to the same month one year ago. This is attributed to a 1,223,765 ton or 14.6 percent drop in domestic shipments, a decline in finished imports of 193,951 tons or 6.6 percent , and a decrease in total exports of 165,510 tons or 16.0 percent. The net trade balance between imports and exports was a surplus of 2,528,148 tons in May 2015, 469,595 tons less than that of May 2014.

    Brett Linton

    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.