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    October 15, 2021

    CRU: Sheet Prices Fall in Western Markets as Lead Times Shorten

    Written by Ryan McKinley

    By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan McKinley, from CRU’s Steel Sheet Products Monitor

    Steel sheet price declines continue in the USA and Europe as lead times shorten further and inventories build. In the former market, small transactions are occurring at levels above $1,900 /s.ton, but there are many more deals occurring at well below this level. As such, we expect to see high levels of price volatility in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, European mills are still competing with less expensive imports, driving prices lower once again w/w. Chinese prices moved lower on concerns surrounding the possibility of major problems in the real estate market, while in other Asian countries prices rose on restocking activity in Vietnam and increasing demand in India.

    Ryan McKinley

    Ryan joined CRU in 2018 and is now the editor of the Steel Sheet Monitor. He also forecasts North American prices, production, demand, and trade for sheet and plate products in CRU's Steel Sheet and Plate Market Outlooks. Ryan has eight years of experience in steel market analytics, covering markets from steel metallics, steel long products, stainless steel, and now steel sheet and plate markets. Prior to joining CRU, he covered a variety of local North American scrap markets at Argus Media. He holds a BA in Political Science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, and an MA in Energy Politics in Eurasia from European University located in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. Ryan is based in Denver, Colorado.

    Read more from Ryan McKinley

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