• Skip to main content

    Prices

    October 10, 2019

    August Steel Exports Rise to 13-Month High

    Written by Brett Linton

    The U.S. exported 650,838 tons of flat rolled steel in August, according to final Census data, a 5 percent rise from July, and up 1 percent from the same month one year ago. This is the highest monthly export figure since July 2018 when 655,937 tons of steel were exported outside of the country.

    August exports were above the 2019 average of 615,996 tons, but remain significantly muted compared to recent years. It was just before this time last year when exports dropped from their 850,000+ ton levels down to sub-700,000 levels, as shown in the purple line graph below.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Prices

    Mills seek more scrap after lower prices fail to attract tons

    Several mills that bought October scrap early last week are still asking for additional supplies, scrap market participants said. The reason: the mills' initial prices did not attract enough of the raw material, they said. A trading source based in northern Ohio said three mills have contacted his firm seeking offers for additional tons. He said the mills asked for offers even if prices were higher than their original buys last week.