Steel Products Prices North America

Import Licenses for Slabs See Big Jump in June
Written by Brett Linton
July 11, 2019
Steel imports into the U.S. in June potentially jumped by more than 30 percent in a comparison of May final Census data with June import license data. The final tally of June imports has not yet been released by the Commerce Department.
Total steel imports in May, at around 2.1 million tons, were well below the average of around 2.6 million tons, thus some rebound was not unexpected in June. But finished steel imports appear to have seen a small decline in June. The entire gain from May to June can be attributed to a possible 673,000-ton increase in imports of semi-finished steels, mostly slabs imported by domestic steelmakers.
Steel producers in the U.S. are hoping to capitalize on higher flat-rolled prices in the coming weeks and now have the raw material to roll.
See the chart below for additional import data by product type:
Below are two graphs covering steel imports through final May 2019 figures. You will need to view the graphs on our website to use their interactive features; you can do so by clicking here. If you need assistance logging into or navigating the website, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America

Domestic plate prices could heat up despite so-so demand, market sources say
Some sources also speculated that plate could see further price increases thanks to modest but steady demand, lower imports, mill maintenance outages, and end markets less immediately affected by tariff-related disruptions.

SMU Price Ranges: HR holds, galv slips amid competing market narratives
SMU’s sheet and plate prices see-sawed this week as hot-rolled (HR) coil prices held their ground while prices for galvanized product slipped.

Nucor carries $875/ton HR list price into week seven
Nucor is keeping hot-rolled (HR) coil prices unchanged again this week, according to its latest consumer spot price (CSP) notice issued on Monday, Oct. 6

SMU Price Ranges: A newsy week sees modest price gains despite a quiet spot market
Market participants predicted that prices should be at or near a bottom. But while most seemed to agree on that point, many also said they saw little upside given a quiet spot market and ongoing concerns about demand.

Nucor increases plate prices by $60/ton
Nucor aims to increase prices for steel plate by $60 per short ton with the opening of its November order book.