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    U.S. Raw Steel Production Starts Strong in 2019

    Written by Brett Linton


    Total raw steel production for the month of January rose to 8,286,886 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. This is one of the higher levels seen over the last few years. Broken down by production method, 5,717,191 tons (69.0 percent) were produced by electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and 2,569,695 tons (31.0 percent) were produced by blast furnaces.

    January production was 44,297 tons or 0.5 percent higher than December, and 691,263 tons or 9.1 percent higher than the same month one year ago. AISI’s monthly estimates are different than the weekly estimates we report each Tuesday; the monthly estimates are based on over 75 percent of the domestic mills reporting versus only 50 percent reporting for the weekly estimates.

    Brett Linton

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    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.