Steel Products Prices North America

May Preliminary Imports Decline to 2.9 Million Tons
Written by Brett Linton
June 28, 2018
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported preliminary steel import license data for May at 2,886,606 net tons, a decrease of 23 percent from the April high and a decrease of 17 percent compared to the same month last year.
Updated June license data was also released; taking the daily license rate and spreading it across the 30 days of June, we see the month trending toward 2.9 million net tons total. Our late-month trend figures over the past few months have been within 200,000 tons of the final monthly figures.
Looking through the June trending data, semi-finished imports appear to have rebounded from the May dip, while finished imports are slowing. Hot and cold rolled imports are trending downward for June, while imports of coated products are increasing. Plate, both coiled and cut to length, are down significantly from May to June.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
BREAKING NEWS: NLMK USA up $50/ton on HR and CR, up $100/ton on coated
NLMK USA plans to increase prices for hot-rolled and cold-rolled coil by at least $50 per short ton (st). The move is effective immediately for all spot orders, the steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Friday.
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet floor holds as market debates upside
Our average HR coil price increased $5/short ton from last week, marking a second consecutive week of modest gains. Market participants generally attributed the increase to...
Thin demand keeps plate prices hovering at lowest levels since February
Participants in the domestic plate market say spot prices appear to have hit the floor, and they continue to linger there. They say demand for steel remains thin, with plate products no exception.
SMU Price Ranges: HR crawls back to $800/ton
SMU’s HR price stands at $800/st on average, up $5/st from last week. The modest gain came as the low end of our range firmed, and despite the high end of our range declining slightly.
SMU successfully completes IOSCO review
SMU has successfully completed an external review of all our prices. The review has concluded that they algin with principles set by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
