Steel Products Prices North America
Preliminary Data Shows Finished Steel Imports Up in May
Written by Brett Linton
June 25, 2020
Recently released preliminary steel import data shows May imports totaling 1.79 million net tons, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is down nearly 1 million tons compared to final April imports, primarily due to the quarterly reset on semifinished imports.
Taking semifinished products out of the picture, imports of finished products are up in May over the previous month; 1.49 million tons of finished imports are reported to have been imported, up nearly 13 percent or 171,000 tons over April figures.
June import licenses are currently at 1.49 million tons in total, with 1.06 million tons being finished products and nearly 435,000 tons being semifinished.
Note: The January, April, July, and October import figures are unusually high as a result of buyers seeking to max out quarterly quota limits on semifinished products. For the remainder of each quarter, final semifinished imports are significantly lower. Due to these month-to-month swings, SMU has ceased monthly import “trending” projections and now only shows unadjusted figures as reported by the Commerce Department.
The three graphics below show total steel imports through May preliminary census data. To provide the most clarity, we are only showing a limited time line in each graphic. To see a greater data history and utilize our interactive graphing features, you can visit our website. Contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com if you have any questions.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate steady ahead of Independence Day
Sheet and plate prices were little changed in the shortened week ahead of Independence Day, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Nucor maintains plate prices, opens August order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat again with the opening of its August order book.
Nucor CSP remains level at $900/ton
Nucor maintained its weekly list price for hot-rolled (HR) coil this week, following two consecutive increases.
Cliffs raises prices, seeks $950/ton for July spot HR
Cleveland-Cliffs plans to increase prices for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $950 per short ton (st) with the opening of its July spot order book. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said the price hike was effective immediately in a letter to customers dated Monday.
HRC vs. prime scrap spread widens in June
The price spread between HRC and prime scrap widened in June.