Steel Products Prices North America
AIIS Reports May Exports Up 25.2 Percent Year over Year
Written by Brett Linton
July 27, 2017
The following is a press release on steel exports from the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) on July 27 2017:
Falls Church, VA. July 27, 2017. Steel exports swelled 17.3 percent from April to May – and were up 25.2 percent from a year earlier – to surpass 1 million net tons.
More than half of the 1,006,088 net tons of exports in May – 572,068 net tons – were sent to Canada. This total was 31.7 percent more than in April and 38 percent more than in May 2016. Monthly exports to Mexico, though, dipped 3.7 percent from the previous month, to 321,435 net tons, which was 5.5 percent higher than a year earlier. The European Union took in 40,907 net tons of steel from the United States in May, which was 57.8 percent more than in April and 62.2 percent more than in the previous May.
From January to May, total steel exports increased 13.3 percent to 4.46 million net tons. This included 2.26 million net tons of exports to Canada (12.2 percent higher than the total during the same time last year), 1.7 million net tons to Mexico (14 percent higher), and 157,368 net tons to the European Union (56.1 percent higher).
With both imports and exports rising by double digits through the first five months of the year, it is clear that this is not a zero-sum game, that domestic manufacturers can do very well even as the nation relies partly on imports for its steel needs. In addition, the capability utilization rate of domestic mills has risen by more than 2 percentage points this year to 74.5 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, further illustrating the health of American steel companies. As the Department of Commerce continues its Section 232 investigation of the potential impact of steel imports on national security, it would do well to take note of how much stronger U.S. firms have become even as imports have increased to meet the demands of a growing economy.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/SMU_BL_headshot-V4-150x150.png)
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CRU-Logo-2023-07-21-at-4.35.41-PM.png)
CRU: Longs pricing trends diverge in North, South America
Most longs prices in the US were unchanged this month, except for rebar, which declined by $1.50/cwt ($30/short ton) m/m. While end-use demand is stable, inventories are well-stocked, keeping purchases limited. Domestic availability is sufficient to meet current demand, hindering the appetite for imported material. Meanwhile, prices for scrap remained under pressure in June, with […]
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/Nucor.png)
Nucor cuts plate prices by $125/ton, cites ongoing competition
Nucor Corp. announced that its plate mill group would cut prices for as-rolled, discrete, and normalized plate with the opening of its August order book.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/Nucor.png)
Nucor cuts HR price for fourth straight week
Nucor lowered its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil by another $10 per short ton (st) for the first week of July. The steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Monday that its CSP base price for the week will be $670/st for all of its sheet mills with the exception of California Steel Industries (CSI).
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/Cliffs_logo2.2.png)
Cliffs sets $720/ton HR price with opening of August books
Cleveland-Cliffs on Tuesday announced its monthly hot-rolled (HR) coil price of $720 per short ton (st) with the official opening of its August order book. The rate is down from last month’s price of $800/st.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CRU-Logo-2023-07-21-at-4.35.41-PM.png)
CRU: Demand weakness continues to weigh on global sheet markets
Demand has remained persistently weak across the globe for sheet steel, weighing on prices. US HR coil prices fell the furthest this week as high-volume, low-priced deals were transacted as mills looked to fill order books and competed with one another amid relative demand weakness. Meanwhile, European prices were also down due to low demand […]