Steel Products Prices North America
U.S. Raw Steel Production Up 1.7 Percent in 2018
Written by Tim Triplett
July 5, 2018
Raw steel production for the week ending June 30 totaled 1,781,000 net tons, a 1.9 percent increase from the same period last year and up 0.5 percent from the previous week. The mill capability utilization rate for the June 30 week averaged 76.0 percent, up from 75.6 percent in the prior week and 74.9 percent in the same week last year. Raw steel capability utilization remains below the peak for the year of 78.7 percent recorded in March, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington.
Adjusted year-to-date producton through June 30 totaled 45,614,000 net tons at a capability utilization rate of 75.5 percent. That’s up 1.7 percent from 44,839,000 tons in the same period last year when the capability utilization was 74.4 percent.
Following is production by district for the week of June 30: North East: 215,000 net tons; Great Lakes, 653,000 net tons; Midwest, 187,000 net tons; South, 652,000 net tons; and West, 74,000 net tons, for a total of 1,781,000.
Note, mill capability for second-quarter 2018 is approximately 30.5 million tons, compared to 30.3 million tons for the same period last year and 30.0 million tons for first-quarter 2018.
The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated. The figures are compiled from weekly production tonnage from 50 percent of the domestic producers combined with monthly production data for the remainder. Therefore, this report should be used primarily to assess production trends. The AISI monthly production report provides a more detailed summary of steel production based on data supplied by companies representing 75 percent of U.S. production capacity.
Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
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 […]
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.
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).
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.
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 […]