Steel Products Prices North America
US DOC Reports June Imports at 2.6 Million Tons
Written by John Packard
July 28, 2016
On Wednesday of this week the U.S. Department of Commerce reported Preliminary Census data on imports of foreign steel for the month of June 2016. The data is initially released in metric tons which Steel Market Update has converted to net tons for our readers. Imports in June totaled 2.630,373 net tons which are down from the 2,876,358 net tons received in May.
Semi-finished imports, which are mostly slabs (and some billet) going to the domestic steel mills, were down significantly during the month of June coming in at 404,393 net tons. These lower tons was the main reason for the reduction in tons between May and June.
The products shipped to the United States were led by: semi-finished, galvanized, hot rolled, reinforcing bars, cold rolled, wire rods and line pipe.
During the month of June the largest exporters of steel to the United States were (in order of volume):
Canada, South Korea, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Japan and Germany.
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest 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.