Analysis
August 28, 2026
Written by Laura Miller
Data center construction is supporting US nonresidential construction activity and steel demand, according to Eric Gaus, chief economist at Dodge Construction Network.
“Data center projects use a lot of steel,” Gaus said at the SMU Steel Summit 2026 in Atlanta on Aug. 26. He mentioned structural steel and electrical tubing specifically.
Earlier this week, several steelmakers entered the market with prices for shredded, plate and structural (P&S), and heavy melting steel (HMS) up $20 per gross ton (gt) from September. Prices on prime grades were initially missing but were then reported as up only $10. This occurred in select regions, mainly in the northern tier. As the week went on, expectations were that the rest of the market would follow suit. But this has not been the case.
SMU’s October ferrous scrap market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the Pricing and Analysis tab and look under the “survey results” section for Ferrous Scrap Survey results. Past scrap survey results are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the survey results or if your company would like to have your voice heard in our future surveys
The Department of Commerce is adjusting the countervailing duties (CVDs) on imports of hot-rolled steel flat products from two South Korean producers. The agency released the final results of its administrative review for calendar year 2023, finding a lower rate for Hyundai but a higher rate for POSCO.
Steel imports into the US crept higher in August and continued climbing in September, according to the Department of Commerce's latest import license data. August imports rose 3.4% from July to a 15-month high. September license data collected through Oct. 5 shows another 6.2% month-on-month increase. Imports continue to recover from some of the lowest levels since 2020, seen late last year through February this year.
SMU’s Current and Future Scrap Sentiment Indices were stable and trending up in October, according to the latest data from our ferrous scrap survey. SMU’s Current Scrap Sentiment Index was unchanged at +88 this month after declining five points in September. The sideways result is still tied for the second-highest level year-to-date.