Domestic HRC’s Competitive Advantage Over Imports Slips

Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) kept its competitive price advantage run over imported steel – now 14 weeks running – though it did lose momentum week on week (WoW), according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis.

US HRC is approximately 7% cheaper than foreign prices this week, down slightly from 8% last week after consideration of freight costs, trader margins, and any applicable tariffs. US prices have been cheaper than foreign prices for all three regions we follow since the beginning of November. While margins have varied, HRC prices for all regions increased WoW, yet the average spread slipped from $63 per ton last week to $58 per ton this week as US prices also moved up.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.