Category: Region

A weekly guest column that examines North American steel issues leading up to the USMCA periodic review in July.

The export market on the North American East Coast has been firming after seeing a sale that climbed to $415.50 per metric ton (mt) CFR for HMS 85/15.

Klöckner & Co.’s North American business attributed its first quarter losses to reduced shipments, a knock-on effect of its divestment in 8 US-based distribution sites, at the end of 2025.

Ternium SA’s profits more than doubled in the first quarter as work continues to advance at its industrial center in Pesqueria, Mexico.

OCTG imports from China will continue to face US anti-dumping and countervailing duties for at least another five years.

Southeast Recycling Group (SRG) said it will acquire the assets of NuCycle LLC, including an automobile shredder and auto parts yard (Carolina Salvage) in Rock Hill, S.C.

Russel Metals’ earnings jumped in the first quarter as it reported record quarterly shipments and revenue.

Steel traders continue to report strong interest from North American buyers, with their import orders ticking higher, according to our latest survey results. Many manufacturers and service centers, however, report that they have not yet taken the bait.

AISI, SMA, and the Canadian Steel Producers Association will each publish a monthly column in the lead-up to the USMCA periodic review.

Sheet and plate prices remained on an upward trend as industry sources increasingly asked whether improved demand might be driving the market as much as limited supply.

Most manufacturing indicators strengthened through March and showed strong positive annual growth.

The agency found sufficient evidence to support the petitioners' allegations of dumping and subsidization and thus took up the case.

POSCO said its negotiations with Cleveland-Cliffs remain active, citing differences in opinions for lagging progress.

The Trump administration's invocation of the Defense Production Act authorizes the Department of Energy to use DPA tools to accelerate construction, expand domestic manufacturing capacity, and shore up critical supply chains – all areas with direct implications for steel.

President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on auto imports from the European Union to 25% from 15%.

Domestic raw steel production increased to a new multi-year high last week, per AISI figures.

Chinese major Baosteel will re-evaluate its investment in a steel plate making joint venture in Saudi Arabia because war in the Middle East has added uncertainties to the project, Baosteel Chairman Zou Jixin said.

The Canadian government has announced CAD$1.5 billion (USD$1.1 billion) in funding available to help companies impacted by US metals tariffs.

The prevailing sentiment for May is that #1 busheling and bundles are likely to increase. This may cause pig iron to continue its upward trajectory.

I haven’t done a deep dive into our sentiment data for a little while. And it’s timely to do so now. Why? Because we’re seeing what I’ll call the inverted yield curve of steel buyers’ sentiment.

US manufacturing activity grew for the fourth straight month in April, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). April marked the 18th month of overall economic expansion.  

Domestic sheet market participants found business conditions remarkably consistent this week. 

The price gap between US hot-rolled coil (HR) and landed offshore product tightened this week. The dynamic continues even as stateside and import prices diverged a bit vs. the prior week.

Drilling activity increased in the US this week but declined in Canada, per Baker Hughes.

Long products from Algeria are facing the wrath of the US legal system.

AMU: Ford and GM's results show earnings supported by tariff timing and mix, while volumes, inventory, and cash flow point to a constrained supply and uneven demand.

CRU: 62% Fe iron ore prices remained rangebound in April following the surge in the first half of March.

Steel mill lead times continue to hold at or near multi-year highs for both sheet and plate products, territory they have been in two months.

ArcelorMittal’s North American operations posted higher sales results sequentially and year over year (y/y) in its Q1 earnings report.   The North American segment of the Luxembourg-based steelmaker reported 8.3% higher sales in Q1’26 compared with the previous quarter. The steelmaker credits higher average selling prices, up 3.5% from Q4, and a jump in steel shipments, up 5.2%.

Mexico’s federal government and the country’s national steel chamber, Canacero, signed a new Agreement for the Promotion of the Mexican Steel Industry. This positions the steel sector as a core pillar of the national Plan Mexico industrial strategy.