Steel Mills

Cliffs opens June spot order book at $910/ton HR
Written by David Schollaert
May 22, 2025
Cleveland-Cliffs opened its June order book for spot material at $910 per short ton (st).
The Cleveland-based steelmaker said the price cut was effective immediately, in a letter to customers dated Thursday, May 22.
It marks a $65/st decrease from the company’s previous list price of $975/st, per SMU’s price increase calendar.
The move comes as US hot band prices have been steadily dropping since mid-March. While decreases have slowed, buyers remain cautious. They’re hesitant to hold onto much inventory, citing lingering demand concerns, ongoing tariff uncertainty, and a potentially weakening scrap market in June.
SMU’s current HR coil price range is $790-900/st, with an average price of $845/st. That’s flat from our previous assessment. We also calculated the average lead time for HR sheet to be 4.6 weeks, down from 5.11 weeks in late April.

David Schollaert
Read more from David SchollaertLatest in Steel Mills

Domestic mill shipments slip in July: AISI
US steel shipments decreased month over month in July, but were up from last year, according to the latest figures from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Nippon and USS drop litigation vs. USW and Cliffs
Another chapter of the Great U.S. Steel Buyout of the 2020s melodrama has closed, with all involved parties terminating the litigation disputes between them.

Steel Summit: Analysts say demand likely to struggle until 2027
Steel industry analysts at this year's SMU Steel Summit said they see lackluster demand through this year and next.

USS Clairton begins full production of batteries 19 and 20, 13 and 14 hot idled
U.S. Steel has activated batteries 19 and 20 at its Clairton Coke Works facility after pausing each “out of an abundance precaution” following an explosion at the site on Aug. 11.

Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.