Category: Sheet

Nucor increases HR spot price by $5/ton

Most steel buyers responding to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are considerably less willing to talk price on sheet and plate products than they were in recent weeks.

Steel mill lead times marginally extended for both sheet and plate products this week, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey.

Flack Global Metals (FGM) announced Thursday that it would expand into Texas by assuming the Houston operations of NSPS Metals.

Sheet steel indices increased across the board this week, while plate prices held steady. All five of SMU’s price indices are higher than they were two weeks ago, and all but one are above levels recorded four weeks ago.

President and CEO Eddie Lehner said Ryerson has faced market headwinds in the third quarter.

Nucor entered the fourth quarter with clear forward momentum: stronger-than-expected results, solid sheet and plate demand, and construction progress on a major new mill that should add capacity next year.

Participants on this month’s Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call expect galvanized steel base prices to firm up in the first quarter of 2026.  

World crude steel output declined for the fourth-consecutive month in September, slipping 3% from August to an estimated 141.8 million metric tons (mt), according to the latest figures from the World Steel Association (worldsteel).

U.S. Steel plans to restart battery #14 at the Clairton Coke Works plant on Thursday, ending its idling period.   Battery #14 was hot idled following the explosion at coke oven batteries 13 and 14 on Aug. 11. The Mon Valley Works Clairton plant has completed the necessary repairs. It expects the battery to restart during […]

Our average HR coil price increased $5/short ton from last week, marking a second consecutive week of modest gains. Market participants generally attributed the increase to...

U.S. Steel (USS) said it’s been strengthening its safety protocols as findings from investigations into the causes of a deadly explosion at USS Clairton Coke Works on Aug. 11 materialize.  The Pittsburgh, Pa.-headquartered steel producer stated that an independent investigation conducted by the Environmental Design & Testing Corp (EDT) produced findings aligned with the company’s […]

FabArc Steel Supply announced this week the completion of two large-scale projects in Georgia and Mississippi.

US domestic sheet prices have remained rangebound in recent weeks as supply tightness met weak demand. Demand for steel produced in the US increased among some Mexican industrial buyers....

Tariffs are ultimately to blame for stagnant demand in the hot-rolled coil market, domestic market sources tell SMU.

The European Commission proposes cutting its steel import quota by almost half, with volumes exceeding the limit facing 50% duties. The region’s steel industry welcomes the move, while other steel-producing nations fear the consequences.  CRU published an insight before this announcement, noting that more restrictive trade policy could significantly raise the cost of marginal supply […]

Sheet and plate lead times saw minor shifts this week, according to SMU’s latest market survey. Sheet times have inched up over the last month but remain within days of multi-year lows, as they have since May. Plate lead times have bobbed within a tight range for months, hovering roughly a week longer than this time last year.

Following spot market plate price increase notices issued by domestic mills this past week, participants are contemplating the rationale behind the increases and whether they will stick. Some sources anticipate that current market conditions will shift in November and believe the increases may set a new "pricing floor."

Oregon Steel Mills has joined other producers in announcing a price increase of at least $60 per short ton on steel plate.

Voestalpine and partners have begun building an industrial-scale Hy4Smelt demonstration plant in Linz, Austria, which they hope will become key in the decarbonization of steel.

Domestic plate market participants are optimistic about the market despite the ongoing uncertainty that’s characterized most of 2025, sources said.  

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) finds that corrosion resistant steel (CORE) imports from 10 countries have caused material damage to domestic product producers, according to the ITC’s statement.  

Sheet and plate prices were flat or lower this week as less discounting from domestic mills was offset by few signs of an anticipated rebound in demand.

Algoma Steel is increasing its credit facility from USD$300 million to USD$375 million due to "market conditions."

Nucor Plate Group announced that its patent-pending wide floor plate product is now available to customers in a statement on Monday. 

This piece was first published by SMU’s sister publication, Aluminum Market Update. To learn about AMU, visit their website or sign up for a free trial. The cause of a fire at Novelis’ aluminum mill in Oswego County, New York, is under investigation. The fire started just after 10 p.m. ET on Sept. 16 in the facility’s hot […]

Participants in the US carbon and steel plate market are frustrated by the lack of activity following the Labor Day holiday weekend.  

Sheet times ticked higher but remain within days of multi-year lows, territory they have been in since May. Plate lead times have shifted lower in the past month but remain about a week longer than they were at this time last year.

Sheet prices are expected to increase in the coming weeks in most markets. However, rising domestic capacity in the US, subdued demand in Europe, and high inventory levels in China and India will limit price near-term uptrend.

Market sources say demand for domestic plate refuses to budge despite stagnating prices.