Market Segment
March 17, 2021
Written by Michael Cowden
California Steel Industries (CSI) has opened its June flat rolled orderbook, and the West Coast slab converter has also increased prices by as much as $90 per ton ($4.50/cwt), according to market participants.
“The purpose of this letter is to inform you that CSI’s June flat rolled orderbook is now open,” the company said in a letter to customers on Wednesday, March 17.
The current plate market squeeze has been driven by improved demand and heightened import barriers, including 50% Section 232 tariffs. But the timing of fall outages—even if they were planned—is exacerbating the supply crunch.
Metalformers’ optimism softened in the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) September Business Conditions Report.
SMU’s latest Flat-Rolled Steel Buyers Survey shows that in a tight US market marked by long lead times, low inventories, and rising prices, foreign products continue to gain the interest of domestic buyers.
Domestic raw steel output fell to a six-month low last week after hitting a multi-year high one week earlier, according to the latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures.
The proposed Hyundai-POSCO steel mill in Louisiana has been approved for up to $1.3 billion in bond financing, according to state records and local media reports.