Steel Markets
Gerdau Confirms Outage at Whitby Mill
Written by Becca Moczygemba
April 4, 2023
Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau has confirmed a planned outage at its mill in Whitby, Ontario.
“Gerdau confirms a planned outage in its Whitby, Ontario mill. Rolling operations will undergo routine annual maintenance, lasting two weeks. The melt shop will experience a longer outage, beginning in late April and lasting approximately six weeks,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email to SMU.
“This will allow for completion of the previously announced investment in Gerdau’s Ontario operations, improving production volume, quality, environmental performance, and competitiveness. Gerdau is utilizing its network of mills to avoid any commercial impact from the outage,” the spokesperson added.
The Whitby mini-mill produces rebar and has a current melt capacity of 1,046,000 tons.
Gerdau is not currently confirming any other planned outages or downtime.
By Becca Moczygemba, becca@steelmarketupdate.com
Becca Moczygemba
Read more from Becca MoczygembaLatest in Steel Markets
Discontentment brews in plate market with flat, status-quo pricing
Sources in the carbon and alloy steel plate market said they are less discouraged by market uncertainty resulting from tariffs or foreign relations, but are instead, eager to see disruption to the flat pricing environment.
Dodge Momentum Index surges in July
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) jumped 20.8% in July and is now up 27% year-to-date, according to the latest data released by Dodge Construction Network.
Drilling activity slows in US but picks up steam in Canada
Oil and gas drilling in the US slowed for a third consecutive week, while activity in Canada hovered just shy of the 19-week high reached two weeks prior.
SMU Survey: Buyers remain leery of tariffs, but more see reshoring happening
This week’s SMU survey reveals that a growing number of steel market participants are weary of tariffs and are awaiting evidence of progress reshoring. At the start of 2025, now-second-term President, Donald Trump, pronounced that his plan to implement tariffs would result in increased revenue for the US.
Hot-rolled coil market remains slow, market participants say
Hot rolled spot market participants reported another week of moderate demand and ample supply, with no strong signs that conditions will change next week.