Category: Analysis

SMU Survey: Sheet and plate lead times remain extended, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.

Buyers continue to report mills are holding a firm grip on sheet and plate prices.

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is envied by many as one of the strongest trading partnerships in the world.

Although price levels have been quite favorable recently in the Brazilian pig iron market, there does not seem to be enough production to keep the pipeline intact.

US scrap prices were mostly flat in May, with some upside on prime scrap, sources told SMU.

US steel exports improved in March but remain historically low, having trended lower for over a year now.  

What might be in store for the ferrous scrap market this summer?

All five of SMU’s sheet and plate price indices ticked higher this week, rising further to new multi-year highs. Prices increased between $5-25 per short ton (st) from last week and are $30-65/st higher than they were one month ago.

Total heating and cooling equipment shipments jumped 24% from February to March according to recently released AHRI figures.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) has revised their metallic coating extras higher for galvanized, Galvalume, Galfan, and aluminized type 1 products.

The May scrap market took much longer to settle than most players anticipated, but the results are mostly in.

The May scrap market in the US seems to be just finishing up its settle as of the writing of this article. Luckily, we have our latest ferrous scrap market survey to give us an insight before we release our prices article next week.

Lewis Leibowitz: Recent rulings suggest courts are reinforcing legal limits on tariff authority.

While August might seem like a long way off, we’re putting the final touches on the agenda for steel’s can’t-miss gathering of the year.

The process to reduce Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs for producers in Mexico and Canada garnered mixed reactions from steel and metals’ supply chain advocacy groups.  

Sheet market participants found modest spot price increases this past week, but conceded that overall market conditions remained stable.  

Century Aluminum CEO Jesse Gary said his company could start up its new smelter in Oklahoma ahead of schedule if the permitting process moved more quickly.

SMU’s Current and Future Sentiment Indices for scrap both fell in May, though they remain at elevated levels, according to the latest data from our ferrous scrap survey.

Multiple risks continue to cloud the automotive outlook, including semiconductor shortages, tariff uncertainty, weaker demand, policy changes, geopolitical disruption, the war in Iran, supply-chain shocks, protectionism, cost pressures, and intensifying competition.

Following the historical lows seen in recent months, steel import volumes marginally increased in March and April.

The current rally in sheet prices has lasted more than seven months, something without recent precedent. Unless your definition of recent includes the snapback in demand following the pandemic.

Ternium expects steel demand in Mexico to keep improving through the second quarter as destocking fades and new industrial policies take hold.

SMU’s April ferrous scrap market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members.

CFO Martin Jurasek described the first quarter as a “positive inflection point” as strategic initiatives, including the recent Kloeckner acquisition, began to materially lift results.

A weekly guest column that examines North American steel issues leading up to the USMCA periodic review in July.

The export market on the North American East Coast has been firming after seeing a sale that climbed to $415.50 per metric ton (mt) CFR for HMS 85/15.

Steel traders continue to report strong interest from North American buyers, with their import orders ticking higher, according to our latest survey results. Many manufacturers and service centers, however, report that they have not yet taken the bait.

AISI, SMA, and the Canadian Steel Producers Association will each publish a monthly column in the lead-up to the USMCA periodic review.

Sheet and plate prices remained on an upward trend as industry sources increasingly asked whether improved demand might be driving the market as much as limited supply.

Most manufacturing indicators strengthened through March and showed strong positive annual growth.