Steel Prices

Nucor lowers HRC price to $910/ton

May 5, 2025

After holding its weekly spot price for hot-rolled (HR) coil steady for three weeks at $930 per short ton (st), Nucor lowered the price this week by $20/st.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker notified customers in a letter on Monday that this week’s base consumer spot price (CSP) for HR coil will be $910/st.

It marks Nucor’s second only decrease year to date, and its first double-digit cut since Oct. 14, 2024, when it lowered prices by $10/st to $720/st.

This week’s price is its lowest since March 10, when its CSP was $900/st – at the time on a six-week, $140/st rally.

SMU’s April 29 check of the market revealed HR coil prices to be in the range of $820-950/st, with an average of $885/st. Members can track prices for steel sheet and plate using the Interactive Pricing Tool on our website.

Nucor’s letter again noted that it will continue offering 3-5 weeks’ lead times for HR spot purchases.

SMU’s survey last week showed lead times of 3-6 weeks for HR coil in the wider market, with an average of 5.1 weeks.

West Coast CSP

Nucor also lowered the CSP for HR coil from its West Coast joint-venture subsidiary, California Steel Industries (CSI), by $20/st from last week to $970/st.

SMU members can also view historical flat-rolled and plate price announcements on our steel mill price announcement calendar.

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.