Steel Prices

Nucor slows HRC price climb with $5/ton increase

March 24, 2025

After eight weeks of double-digit price increases on hot-rolled (HR) coil, Nucor slowed the price rise this week with an increase of $5 per short ton (st).

On Monday, the steelmaker told customers this week’s consumer spot price (CSP) for HR coil would be $935/st. That price is good across Nucor mills, except for its joint-venture subsidiary California Steel Industries (CSI), whose HR price is also increasing by $5/st to $995/st this week.

The letter to customers stated that lead times of three to five weeks will continue to be offered, but they should contact a Nucor sales representative to confirm.

After holding the price at $750/st from November to January, Nucor’s weekly HR coil CSP has risen 25% since Jan. 20.

You can track announced steel price increases on the steel mill price announcement calendar on our website.

In last week’s market check, SMU assessed HR coil prices at $900-1,000/st. Our interactive pricing tool shows the average price of $950/st was flat from the previous week. We also calculated the average lead time for the HR sheet to be 5.6 weeks.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. Since 2007, she has held various editorial and marketing positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills. In 2021, after a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel trade journalism, joining SMU in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.