Category: Market Segment

O’Neal Industries (ONI) has announced changes to its top leadership. The Birmingham, Ala.-based family-owned metals service center group said the following appointments are effective immediately.

The amount of raw steel produced by US mills eased last week according to the AISI. Production remains strong compared to the multi-month lows seen at the end of the year.

BlueScope’s new chief executive used her first public address to signal a faster, more aggressive phase for the steel company. She underscored the strength of its US operations and the rejection of a recent takeover proposal she said “materially undervalued” the business.

Nucor’s consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil increased to $970 per short ton, up $5/st from last week.

There is no evidence that unofficial talks are taking place to secure tariff reductions on Canadian aluminum or steel. One of the biggest challenges is simply understanding what the US actually wants from Canada.

Participants in the hot- and cold-rolled coil markets said winter storms in the East and Midwest may disrupt weekly order volumes and prices.  

A coalition of US steel industry CEOs has formally urged President Trump to maintain—and fully enforce—current Section 232 tariffs on steel and steel‑containing goods.

SMU interviews Worthington Steel CEO Geoff Gilmore about the recent Kloeckner & Co. buy.

SSAB Americas delivered higher shipments and a stronger operating result in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company saw firm demand in key US end markets and a solid finish to the year despite a planned maintenance outage.

Metalforming manufacturers anticipate strong near-term economic conditions that will give way to increasing orders, according to the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report for January 2026. 

Nucor Chair and CEO Leon Topalian is bullish on the outlook for 2026. And noted that the Charlotte, NC-based steelmaker remains in the hunt for M&A opportunities.

What do SMU's latest survey results show about the current market take on tariffs and where HRC prices are going?

AZZ Inc. posted on its website that it had temporarily closed more than half a dozen locations in response to the extremely cold weather gripping much of the US.

Alton Steel Inc. (ASI), a special bar quality (SBQ) steel producer, said it will close operations later this week.

“The premise for the board’s rejection was insufficient value. Yet they provided shareholders with no reasonable, executable alternative strategy that would provide the same certainty of shareholder return,” SDI Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO Mark Millett said.

Nucor reported higher profits in the fourth quarter on-year, and expects sequential improvements across all segments in the current quarter.

Raw steel output from US mills climbed last week to the highest rate seen in over four months, according to the latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures

Nucor’s consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil increased to $965 per short ton (st), up $5/st vs. the prior week.

If forced to choose between Canada and Mexico, many manufacturers are likely to prioritize Mexico as the more important manufacturing hub.

A report on the sheet market this week.

Lower finished steel imports continued to support US domestic prices this month. HR coil prices are up more than $40 per metric ton (mt) month-on-month (m/m) due to higher seasonal demand in January and tightening domestic supply.

Steel mill lead times held steady on most products this week following the surge seen in early January, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey

The plate market’s swell of optimistic sentiment marking the start of 2026 dissipated this week.  

Just over a third of the steel buyers who responded to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are willing to talk price to secure new spot orders.

US steel imports have fallen sharply under the new 50% Section 232 tariff regime. Jerry Richardson, general director of CSN LLC, discussed on an SMU Community Chat this week how the market is now structurally tighter and more volatile than at any point in the past decade.

Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) announced a proposed schedule and minimum sale price for the auction of the bankrupt steelmaker and its Minera del Norte (MINOSA) operations.

The volume of raw steel produced by US mills grew last week, holding on to the gains seen the prior week, according to the latest figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Metallus and the United Steelworkers (USW) have agreed to another tentative four-year contract, the specialty metal producer announced.  

Nucor’s consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil increased to $960 per short ton (st), up $10/st vs. the prior week.

Cleveland-Cliffs' shuttered tin mill in Weirton, W.Va., caught fire on Saturday as a crew worked to recover scrap metal ahead of the plant's demolition, according to a local news reports.