Acero Junction has started the process of running their first slabs. We, along with the rest of the world, were given a peak at the process when someone from within the mill took a video of the first “bar” which is the first step of the rolling process once the heated slab leaves the re-heat […]
Steel Dynamics announced net income of $20 million for fourth quarter 2016. Company net sales totaled $1.9 billion, down from $2.1 billion in third quarter. Operating income decreased to $239.5 million from $338.7 million in the previous quarter. Steel shipments for the quarter totaled 2.2 million; fabrication shipments totaled 131,186 tons. Average selling price for […]
Steel Market Update is a member of an association connected to the construction industry called HARDI. HARDI stands for Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. HARDI and The Institute for Trend Research (ITR), an economic forecasting company, work together to gather economic data to provide a forecast to the HARDI members located in the United […]
Steel Market Update inadvertently used third quarter data when reporting results for AK Steel in Tuesday’s issue. The information has been corrected on the website. For those of you who received the inaccurate information in your newsletter, please note the following changes to the first three paragraphs of the article. AK Steel Strategy Leads to […]
The following article has been revised as of 1-25-2017. Net income/loss was incorrectly reported. SMU apologizes for the confusion. AK Steel reported a net loss of $62.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to net loss of 145.4 million in Q4 2015. Sales totaled $1.42 billion with an average selling price of $998 […]
Steel Market Update is a member of an association connected to the construction industry called HARDI. HARDI stands for Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. HARDI and The Institute for Trend Research (ITR), an economic forecasting company, work together to gather economic data to provide a forecast to the HARDI members located in the United […]
Allegheny Technologies Inc. reported fourth quarter sales of $796 million and net income of $10 million. Flat rolled sales increased 13.2 percent year-over-year in Q4 2016 to $18.9 million, but the segment posted an operating loss of $0.8 million, improved from a loss of $120.1 million in Q4 2015. Quarter results were impacted by “weak market […]
Another complication has hit Essar Steel Algoma in its efforts to restructure and pull its way out of CCAA protection. The United Steelworkers Local 2251 has been offered a new contract that asks hourly workers to accept a 10 percent wage cut, elimination of cost of living increases, and cuts to paid vacations. The local […]
NLMK USA sales grew 3.0 percent in 2016, said parent company NLMK due to stable customer demand, trader restocking and trade restrictions on rolled steel imports. Steel sales for 2016 totaled 1.817 million tonnes, up from 1.764 million tonnes in 2015. Total fourth quarter sales of 382,000 tonnes were down 14 percent from third quarter […]
The Metal Service Center Institute (MSCI) released shipment and inventories data for the month of December as well as the full calendar year 2016. Total steel products, carbon flat rolled, steel plate and pipe and tube saw shipments drop and inventories rise during the month of December compared to the prior year. The U.S. steel […]
Total Canadian steel shipments for all products in December were 289,900 net tons, a decrease of 27.2 percent from the month before but an increase of 6.2 percent from December 2015. Total steel inventories at the end of the month stood at 1,170,600 tons, up 7.6 percent from last month and up 0.4 percent from […]
Steel Market Update participates in a monthly steel conference call hosted by HARDI (Heating, Air-conditioning, Refrigeration Distributors International). The call is dedicated to a better understanding of the galvanized steel market. The HARDI wholesalers are responsible for the supply of sheet steel and coil as well as other products to the mechanical contractors involved with […]
The idled US Steel McKeesport Tubular mill in Pennsylvania is coming back to life in 2017. Dura-Bond Industries, a pipe manufacturer and coater headquartered in Export, PA, has leased the mill and plans to restart production after approval and upgrades are made. Jason Norris, president of Dura-Bond, confirmed the purchase of equipment from US Steel […]
Commercial Metals Company announced net sales of $1.1 billion for earnings of $7.2 million for first quarter 2017, ending Nov. 30, 2016. Metal margins in the Americas Mills segment took a hit of 17 percent in Q1 due to lower selling prices resulting from continued import pressure, scrap price volatility and market uncertainty. Average selling price […]
Essar Steel Algoma is continuing its restructuring process into the New Year despite hopes it would emerge from CCAA protection by the end of 2016. The year ended with the Term Loan Bidders trying to negotiate a deal to purchase Algoma and secure approval from the United Steelworkers. Algoma’s DIP financing will expire as of […]
Hebei province, one of China’s largest steel producing regions, vows to cut 32 million tonnes of iron and steel capacity in 2017. “2017 will be our toughest year in capacity reduction. No matter how difficult it is, we are determined to succeed.” said Governor Zhang Qingwei. The Chinese government has come down hard on steel […]
Outdated steel mills in China will pay about 66.7 percent more per kilowatt for electricity as of January 1 this year. The National Development and Reform Commission raised the rate on outdated steel companies that are scheduled to be phased out as part of the effort to reduce steel capacity and encourage supply side reform. […]
The following analysis of the steel markets in China is from Beijing Metal Import & Export Co.,Ltd and is being reproduced by Steel Market Update with permission. However, we did need to make some edits to help our readers to better understand the message that is trying to be portrayed: Please allow us to update […]
US Steel announced today that it plans to restart its Keetac iron ore plant in Keewatin, Minn. In a press release on Thursday, US Steel said new iron ore pellet agreements with third party customers prompted an adjustment of its iron ore pellet production to take advantage of the new opportunities. One of those opportunities […]
NLMK Group announced it has signed an agreement for purchase of the core processing equipment for the construction of a new reheating furnace at NLMK Pennsylvania. The new walking-beam reheating furnace will streamline the slab heating process at NLMK Pennsylvania and replace three outdated pusher-type furnaces currently operational at the facility. The reheating furnace, which […]
The following analysis of the steel markets in China is from Beijing Metal Import & Export Co.,Ltd and is being reproduced by Steel Market Update with permission: Please allow us to update China steel market (Dec 19 – Dec 25, 2016) as usual as following: In the past week, China steel market had a heavily […]
United Steelworkers Local 2251 wants clarification from the Ontario court on whether it has permission to talk with Essar Global backed Ontario Steelworks about its bid for Essar Steel Algoma. Local 2251 favors a bid by Ontario Steelworks saying it would preserve the pension plan and union rights under the collective agreement. In July, the […]
A worker at Nucor-Yamato was killed in an accident at the Blytheville facility on Tuesday. Locomotive operator Bobby Sellars was injured when caught between two rail cars while working in the rail yard on Tuesday afternoon. Nucor-Yamato vice president and general manager Leon Topalian released the following statement on Wednesday: Nucor-Yamato Steel Company is investigating […]
AK Steel has been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a new grade of energy efficient steel for electric motors. Under the scope of the project AK Steel will explore different chemical compositions added in to the existing composition of standard electrical steels to increase the resistivity of […]
The following analysis of the steel markets in China is from Beijing Metal Import & Export Co.,Ltd and is being reproduced by Steel Market Update with permission: Please allow us to update China steel market ( Dec 12 – Dec 18, 2016) as usual as following: In the past week, China steel still stood at […]
Worthington Industries announced second quarter 2017 net earnings (ending Nov. 30, 2016) were $46.6 million on $727.8 million in net sales. In comparison Q2 earnings were down from first quarter earnings of $65.6 million but double that of Q2 2016. “We had a good second quarter with overall improving results and solid year-over-year growth,” said […]
Canadian shipments for all steel products in the month of November were 398,000 net tons, an increase of 11.6 percent from the month before and an increase of 11.3 percent from November 2015. Inventories at the end of the month stood at 1,087,700 tons, up 0.7 percent from last month but down 5.7 percent from […]
US Steel indicated it may permanently close the Lorain Tubular No. 4 seamless mill, which has been idle since April 2015, as well as the No. 1 Electric-Weld Pipe Mill at Lone Star Tubular. USW Local 1104, in Lorain, Ohio, was notified of the plan on December 14. The 90-day notice does not mean that […]
Steel Dynamics is expecting fourth quarter profitability to decline from third due to lower shipments and metal spread compression. Shipments were down in both the flat and long products categories. In addition, lower steel pricing more than offset savings realized from lower ferrous scrap costs. Impairment charges for the quarter are still being assessed related […]
November service center daily shipments declined by 3.7 percent from October which was disappointing because since 2009 on average November has declined by 2.1 percent. Carbon steel shipments decreased by 107,400 tons, the number of shipping days was unchanged at 21 and tons/day shipments decreased by 5,100 tons. Intake and shipments In November total carbon […]