Category: Market Data

North American auto assemblies declined in September, down 5.1% vs. August. And assemblies were also down 1% year on year.

Sheet steel indices increased across the board this week, while plate prices held steady. All five of SMU’s price indices are higher than they were two weeks ago, and all but one are above levels recorded four weeks ago.

Participants on this month’s Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call expect galvanized steel base prices to firm up in the first quarter of 2026.  

Domestic mill production inched higher last week, according to the latest figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Prior to the start of this month, raw output had remained historically strong since June.

India's JSW Steel reported a 307% year-on-year (y/y) jump in net profit to INR16.5 bn ($188 million, €161 million) in fiscal Q2.

Ford executives said the automaker expects aluminum supplier Novelis to restart its fire-damaged Oswego, NY hot mill by late November or early December.

What's on steel buyers' minds this week? We asked about market prices, demand, inventories, tariffs, imports, and other evolving market trends. Read on for buyers' comments in their own words...

Demand for plate on the spot market remains soft by comparison to years past. However, this week regional demand variations grew more pronounced.  

As Aluminum Dynamics Inc. (ADI) continues to ramp up production at its Mississippi mill, Steel Dynamics Inc.'s chief executive said there is more opportunity ahead.

Our average HR coil price increased $5/short ton from last week, marking a second consecutive week of modest gains. Market participants generally attributed the increase to...

Medium- and heavy-duty trucks (MHDV) and buses imported to the US will start being charged Section 232 tariffs beginning Nov. 1.  

US-based Ampco-Pittsburgh has placed its forged and cast rolls plant in Gateshead, northeastern England, into administration through voluntary insolvency after years of losses.

The Consumer Federation of America estimates rising total auto debt at a staggering $1.66 trillion, along with increasing repossessions and a sharp increase in delinquencies.

US domestic sheet prices have remained rangebound in recent weeks as supply tightness met weak demand. Demand for steel produced in the US increased among some Mexican industrial buyers....

SMU’s latest steel buyers market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members.

SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices both fell this week, with Current Steel Buyers’ Sentiment notching the lowest reading since May 2020.

Economic growth in some US regions in September was offset by challenges in others, causing the market to appear largely unchanged overall, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book report. 

US scrap prices fell on busheling and shredded in October, while HMS remained flat, market sources told SMU.

Steel mill lead times ticked lower across most sheet and plate products this week, according to responses from SMU’s latest market check.

Mills are more willing to negotiate spot prices for both sheet and plate products, according to our latest market survey results.

September service center shipments and inventories report for sheet and plate

SMU’s HR price stands at $800/st on average, up $5/st from last week. The modest gain came as the low end of our range firmed, and despite the high end of our range declining slightly.

More liberal access to the Northwest Passage could play into trade negotiations between Canada and the United States.

The boom in China’s direct steel exports has not stopped this year, even with a rise in protectionist measures globally. The increase is driven by...

Earlier this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to tariffs, imports, and evolving market events.

The European Commission proposes cutting its steel import quota by almost half, with volumes exceeding the limit facing 50% duties. The region’s steel industry welcomes the move, while other steel-producing nations fear the consequences.  CRU published an insight before this announcement, noting that more restrictive trade policy could significantly raise the cost of marginal supply […]

SMU’s sheet and plate prices see-sawed this week as hot-rolled (HR) coil prices held their ground while prices for galvanized product slipped.

SMU’s Current Sentiment Index for scrap decreased this month, a move mirrored by our Future Sentiment Index, according to the latest data from our ferrous scrap survey.

Each of our Sentiment Indices continues to reflect that steel buyers are positive about their present and future business prospects, though that confidence has eased considerably compared to the beginning of the year.

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