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    US Raw Steel Production Down Marginally

    Written by David Schollaert


    Raw steel production by US mills slipped further last week, with utilization rates below the 80% mark for the second straight week. Domestic output totaled 1,724,000 net tons in the week ending April 2, while mill capacity utilization was 79.3%, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AIS) reported.

    US output was virtually unchanged, down just 0.1% compared to the prior week and 3.5% below the same period last year when production was 1,787,000 net tons. Mill capacity utilization last week was just 0.1 percentage points below the prior week but was still 0.5 percentage points above the same period one year ago when utilization was 78.8%.

    David Schollaert

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    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.

    Nucor increases spot HR to $1,240/ton

    Nucor said on Monday, Oct. 12, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil will be $1,240 per short ton (st) this week, a $10/st increase from a week earlier. The CSP for HR coil from California Steel Industries (CSI) on the West Coast will be $1,305/st, up $15/st from the prior week. Nucor is still offering lead times of three to five weeks, according to the letter to customers. You can track mill price announcements on our website. Steel Market Update (SMU) published a weekly price assessment on Tuesday, Oct. 6, showing HR coil prices averaging $1,270/st, up $10/st from the previous week. We will update our prices on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 13.