Category: Plate

SMU’s steel price indices were steady to higher this week. Each of our sheet indices crept upwards from last week, while our plate index was unchanged.

The US plate market finds itself in unfamiliar territory, well maybe unfamiliar territory for this side of the post-Covid “normal,” that is.

Nucor intends to keep plate prices unchanged with the opening of its October order book, according to a letter to customers dated Wednesday, Sept. 4. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said it would maintain prices set in its July 1, 2024, price letter.

SSAB plans to spend $12 million to boost production capacity at its electric-arc furnace (EAF) plate mill in Mobile, Ala. The Sweden-based steelmaker will do that by expanding the existing furnace there. Shot blast equipment will also be upgraded. The expanded capacity is expected to come online late next year. The mill currently has an […]

SMU indices moved higher on cold rolled products this week, while galvanized prices were flat. Our indices for plate, hot rolled, and Galvalume all edged lower.

Sheet prices trended sideways to modestly up this week in a market that appears to be in “wait-and-see” mode.

Steel buyers continue to report short mill lead times for both sheet and plate products, according to SMU's latest canvass of the market. Lead times for hot-rolled and plate products marginally increased from our late July survey, likely due to limited restocking in anticipation of upcoming mill outages for scheduled maintenance.

SMU’s sheet prices increased across the board this week, marking the third consecutive week of rising prices, while plate prices held stable.

SMU’s sheet prices rose by an average of $10 per short ton (st) this week on most products, the second consecutive week of recovering prices. Aside from the marginal uptick seen last week, this is the first instance of increasing sheet prices since the first week of April.

Nucor intends to keep plate prices unchanged with the opening of its September order book, according to a letter to customers dated Tuesday, Aug. 6.

The wind energy sector continues to be a key feature of our forecasts for steel plate demand. As overall demand in China slows, it will assume a greater importance in shaping future global trends.

Buyers continue to report very short mill lead times on sheet and plate products, according to our latest market canvass of steel service center and manufacturer executives

Nucor has lowered the 2024 production estimate for its Brandenburg, Ky., plate mill due to soft market conditions.

Sheet steel buyers continue to report that mills are willing to talk price on new orders, according to our most recent survey data collected this week.

New England’s All-Steel Fabricating announced the launch of its new road plate rental service.

Global Plate prices declined in all regions this week amid slow seasonal demand. With bearish outlooks on demand in the near term, market participants are watching how mills will react to low order entry levels and short lead times. In the US and China, production has been steady, but in Europe, steel mills are contemplating […]

Nucor Corp. announced that its plate mill group would cut prices for as-rolled, discrete, and normalized plate with the opening of its August order book.

JSW Steel USA plans to invest $110 million in steel plate mill modernization projects with sustainable technology in its Baytown, Texas, facility.

Steel mill lead times remain short for all steel products tracked by SMU, according to our latest market survey. Service center and manufacturers continue to report short to normal lead times for sheet and plate products.

Steel buyers of hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products found mills more willing to negotiate spot pricing this week, according to our most recent survey data. However, buyers of Galvalume and plate products said mills were less willing to talk price.

Canada’s Algoma is set to host the grand opening of its modernized plate mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on June 18.

Steel buyers found mills more willing to negotiate spot pricing this week on all products SMU tracks with the exception of Galvalume, according to our most recent survey data.

Lead times on most steel products tracked by SMU held steady or contracted this week compared to two weeks earlier, according to our latest market survey.

American Heavy Plates is planning an expansion of its processing operations in Ohio.

Triple-S Steel Holdings has acquired Houston-based plate distributor Griffin Trade Group.

Hot rolled, cold rolled, and plate buyers said mills are more willing to talk price on spot orders this week, while the overall negotiation rate for products SMU surveys remained level, according to our most recent survey data.

Most steel products tracked by SMU saw lead times contract this week from two weeks earlier, according to SMU’s most recent survey data.

Nucor Corp. announced that its plate mill group would cut prices for as-rolled, discrete, and normalized plate with the opening of its June order book. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Monday, April 29, that tags would be lowered by $90 per short ton (st). That would bring its base price to roughly $1,200/st.

Hot-rolled coil and plate lead times contracted this week, with most other products remaining flat, according to SMU's most recent survey data. Cold-rolled products, however, saw lead times extend 0.1 weeks to an average of 7.5 weeks vs. two weeks earlier. Hot rolled and plate lead times both contracted 0.3 weeks from our last market check.

Algoma Steel Inc. expects to wrap up a previously announced outage on its plate mill by the end of this month, a company spokeswoman said. The outage is part of the Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker’s $130 million CAD ($95 million USD) modernization project. It began in mid-April.