Steel Mills

CSI Opens August, Sources Say Prices Up Sharply (Again)
Written by Michael Cowden
May 20, 2021
California Steel Industries (CSI) has opened its flat rolled orderbook for August, and the West Coast slab converter has also increased prices by triple-digit margins, according to market participants.
“The purpose of this letter is to inform you that CSI’s August Flat Rolled Order Book is now open,” the company said in emails to customers on Thursday, May 20.
“On behalf of everyone at CSI, we express our sincere appreciation for your ongoing support as we all manage our business,” the company added.
CSI did not say whether or by what amount it might have increased prices. But sources said that they were again sharply higher and that available tons remained limited.
Steel Market Update’s average hot-rolled coil price was $1,570 per ton when this article was filed. The high end of that range was $1,640 per ton, and CSI is in approximately the same range, market participants said.
SMU’s average hot rolled coil price was $1,440 per ton in late April – or $200 per ton below that figure.
A roughly $200-per-ton price increase, on the heels of a triple-digit increase in July, might at first glance seem outlandish. But CSI is probably keeping pace with mills east of the Rocky Mountains, which have been raising prices from one week to the next without any formal notice, sources have said.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Mills

Nippon plans to double steel output at USS operations: Report
Now that it has acquired U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel is planning a significant expansion of its US operations, including the construction of a new mill and more than doubling its steel output.

Algoma fires up EAF steelmaking with first arc
Algoma Steel reached a milestone in its transformation from blast furnace to electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, with its Unit One EAF achieving its first steel production this week.

Nucor holds HR list price at $910/ton
Nucor is keeping its list price for spot hot-rolled coil unchanged after last week’s shortened holiday week.

Cliffs unveils new hydrogen-powered stainless line in Ohio
CEO Lourenco Goncalves, flanked by state leaders and union reps, touted the project as proof that US manufacturing is not only alive, but also advancing.

Cliffs idles Steelton, Riverdale, and Conshohocken operations
Cliffs has idled facilities in Riverdale, Ill., and Conshohocken and Steelton, Pa.