Category: Market Data

US domestic sheet price gains have begun to slow as previously pulled-forward demand has led to a decline in orders.

Meanwhile, an increasing number think it's too early to say whether the penalties are going to bring more manufacturing to the US.

Steel buyers responding to this week’s SMU market survey report a continued softening in sheet lead times. Meanwhile, plate lead times have moderately extended and are at a one-year high.

Iron ore prices were largely steady in March, hovering around $100–102 per dry metric ton (dmt) in a quiet market.

Nearly half of the steel buyers responding to this week’s SMU market survey say domestic mills are showing increased willingness to negotiate pricing on new spot orders. This marks a significant shift from the firmer stance mills held in prior weeks.

Current Sentiment Index dropped six points to +42 this week compared to two weeks earlier. It has fallen in every successive survey since reaching a 2025 high of +66 on Feb. 19.

Steel prices slipped again this week, with all five of SMU’s sheet and plate indices trending lower for the second week in a row.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has announced the publication of the third version of the Product Category Rules (PCR) for North American Steel Construction Products.

The union is also urging stronger enforcement against countries such as China which break trade rules, and a coordinated Canada-US strategy to protect union jobs across the North America

Steel service center shipments and inventories report through March 2024.

Firms were pessimistic, with the future general business conditions index falling to its second lowest reading in the more than 20-year history of the survey

The company said, “The challenging demand conditions in Europe driven by geopolitical developments, trade and supply chain disruptions and escalating energy costs have affected the operating costs and financial performance."

Elon Musk's DOGE is determining which Department of Energy grants to advance and which ones to terminate, according to several media outlets

The amount of finished steel that entered the US market in February receded from January’s peak, according to our analysis of Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data.

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics this week, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events. We are sharing some of the comments we collected.

This week is the first time all of our indices have moved lower in unison since July 2024.

The construction sector added 13,000 jobs, seasonally adjusted, in March, but tariffs could undermine the industry.

For trading partners, the tariffs will reduce demand for exports and depress growth. Over the coming days, trade partners will almost certainly announce retaliation, which will hit US exports.

SMU’s Buyers’ Sentiment Indices experienced multi-point declines this week, though both remain positive and continue to reflect optimism among steel buyers for their companies' ability to be successful.

Supply chains are working through what the tariffs mean for them

Scrap buyers sound off on prices, demand, etc., in SMU's monthly scrap survey.

Latest tariffs could lead to US metallurgical coal exporters (many already high-cost swing producers) being priced out of the market.

Buyers responding to our latest market survey reported that sheet lead times continue to gradually decline from recent highs. Meanwhile, plate lead times increased to levels last seen one year ago.

Four out of every five steel buyers who responded to our latest market survey say domestic mills are unwilling to negotiate on new order spot pricing. Mills have shown little flexibility on pricing for nearly two months.

Sheet and plate prices were mixed on Tuesday as the market took a wait-and-see approach to the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.

SMU’s Monthly Review provides a summary of our key steel market metrics for the previous month, with the latest data updated through March 31.

US manufacturing activity slowed in March after two straight months of expansion, according to supply executives contributing to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM)’s latest report.

The Chicago Business Barometer increased for the third-consecutive month in March. Despite this, it still reflects contracting business conditions, as it has since December 2023.

Victor Cairo, head of Mexico’s steel sector body Canacero and CEO of ArcelorMittal Mexico, says he is confident negotiations between the Mexican and US governments planned for April 2 will lead to the creation of a regional block to substitute imports, especially from Asia.

This week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, including market prices, demand, tariff policies, inventories, imports, and emerging market events.