Category: Region

US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply declined for a fourth straight month in May, with shipping days of supply slipping to 44.7 on an adjusted basis, according to SMU data.

Nucor announced on Monday, June 15, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil will be $1,125 per short ton (st) for the week, up $10/st from last week.

Summer doldrums? Not this year! SMU’s latest steel market survey indicates that an increasing number of steel buyers think prices will continue to rise along with the mercury.

In just a little over two months, the flat-rolled steel industry will gather in Atlanta to uncover the decisions, innovations, and forces shaping the market today — and what’s coming next.

Friedman Industries posted record sales, higher volumes, and sharply improved earnings in fiscal 2026. This was driven by stronger demand, higher average selling prices, and continued contributions from its Century Metals acquisition.

After reaching historic lows late last year, import volumes have increased each month of 2026, according to recently released US Commerce Department data.

Oil and gas drilling activity in Canada picked up over the past week, while drilling in the US remained mostly steady.

Spot market participants recently told SMU they foresee additional plate price rises for domestically made products.

SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices remained strongly optimistic this week and continue to indicate that buyers are confident in their companies’ prospects.

The World Cup only comes around every four years. So let's take a walk down memory lane to see where the steel market stood four years ago.

A major trade case finalized late last year, along with higher Section 232 tariffs, account for the reduced imports.

The United States has repeatedly called for stronger action to protect North American manufacturing. Canadian steel agrees. We are ready to do the work necessary. Now Washington must remove the tariffs that stand in the way.

Steel mill lead times extended this week on both sheet and plate products, now at multi-year highs.

One possible reason for the lull in activity is the ambiguity of the tariff treatment of Brazilian pig iron following an announcement last week from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) about Section 301 tariffs.

The provisional pact comes 10 days after UAW Local 2093 members went on strike on June 1.

This week we saw continued low negotiation rates across all products, with cold rolled and plate the least negotiable and galvanized the most.

Gregg Troian, industry veteran and president of both PGT Trucking and the Board of Directors at the American Transportation Research Institute, cautions that the trucking industry continues to face mounting obstacles.  

The Office of the US Trade Representative has proposed a Section 301 tariff carve-out for direct-reduced iron (DRI) and hot-briquetted iron (HBI) from Brazil while planning higher tariffs for other major suppliers.

The price gap between US hot-rolled coil (HR) and landed offshore product continues to narrow, as stateside prices are now, on average, carrying a premium over imports. Domestic tags are still outpacing imported hot band as pricing dynamics diverge.

Fresh off the closing of Worthington Steel’s acquisition of Kloeckner & Co., Worthington President and CEO Geoff Gilmore sat down with SMU to reflect on the transaction and outline the path forward.

All five of SMU’s price indices increased this week to new multi-year highs. Prices have increased by 20-25% since the beginning of the year.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reports that US steel shipments fell from March to April.

Atlas Tube on Monday announced price increases for mechanical, HSS, and piling products.

The bulk deep-sea export market in the Atlantic Basin has not shown much movement lately. Buyers in Turkey have limited their activity in an attempt to bring prices down in both the US and Northern Europe. However, this does not seem to be working to a significant extent.

Over the next three years, U.S. Steel’s investment to upgrade its hot strip mill at Mon Valley is projected to result in over 6,000 jobs and $58 million in tax revenue, according to an economic impact study conducted by the Parker Strategy Group.

Domestic steel mill output remained historically strong last week, holding within earshot of a multi-year high.

Nucor announced on Monday, June 8, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil will be $1,115 per short ton (st) for the week, up $10/st from last week.

The start-up of an EAF at Port Talbot, south Wales, could be 12 months later than planned.

The next few months are poised to be momentous for US trade and tariff policy. Of note, the United States, Mexico, and Canada are beginning the six-year review of the US-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA).

A Mexican court has approved the joint auction of AHMSA and its MINOSA mining assets for $1.33 billion, paving the way for a single buyer to take control of both businesses.