Category: Sheet

Last week, Steel Market Update and CRU hosted our inaugural VIP Briefing in Chicago ahead of the Scouting America Metals Industry Dinner.

Nucor executives said US steel demand remains stable, with pockets of strength in data centers, energy, border fence work, and infrastructure.

Nucor's new, 3-million-ton-per-year sheet mill in Apple Grove, W.Va., has reached "about 85%" completion, with commissioning now underway.

The volume of raw steel produced by US mills eased last week but remains within earshot of the multi-year high set one week prior

Nucor has increased its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $1,065 per short ton (st), a $10/st increase from last week.

Sheet market participants reported steady to elevated demand over the past week. But while spot prices continued to edge up, some sources said lead times were becoming more closely aligned to industry norms.

Over the past few years, the slab market has changed significantly – Iran filled the position previously occupied by Ukraine before the war, Brazilian merchant slab supply fell, and the introduction of CBAM drew more interest into slab imports to the EU. 

The price gap between US hot-rolled coil (HR) and landed offshore product tightened this week. The dynamic continues as both stateside and offshore prices have largely trended higher.

AZZ reported steady demand across its Metal Coatings network, as infrastructure, power, and data center projects continued to drive high galvanizing volumes.

Marubeni-Itochu Steel Americas Inc. (MISA) plans to build a $37 million flat-rolled steel processing plant in Osceola, Ark., adjacent to Big River Steel.

AZZ Inc. closed fiscal 2026 with record sales and sharply higher profitability, driven by strong demand for hot-dip galvanizing and steady execution across its Metal Coatings network. Its Precoat Metals segment, however, continued to face weaker volumes in construction-related markets.

In a Final Thoughts las week, I asked “Got Steel?” And if you’re looking for spot tons in June, the answer still isn’t obvious.

Each of SMU’s sheet and plate price indices climbed higher this week, with most products rising further to new multi-year highs

North American steel buyers are signaling stronger interest in foreign material amid a tight market and rising global substrate costs, which are complicating purchasing decisions.

Domestic mill production ticked up to a new multi-year high last week, according to recently published American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures.

Steel Dynamics Inc.’s first-quarter 2026 earnings soared on record steel shipments and a jump in steel prices.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. executives on Monday detailed a series of operational moves aimed at improving efficiency, lowering costs, and tightening the company’s production footprint.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. reported improving supply-demand fundamentals in the first quarter and expects stronger conditions through the rest of 2026.

Nucor has increased its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $1,055 per short ton (st), a $10/st bump from last week.

Apparent steel supply declined 3% from January to February to the third-lowest rate recorded in the past two years, just 5% above the near-five-year low set last November.

The Commerce Department has determined that allowing anti-dumping and countervailing duties on non-oriented electrical steel (NOES) imports from a handful of countries to expire would result in continued dumping and subsidization at significant levels.

Participants in the hot- and cold-rolled coils market are optimistic about the market's health.

MU’s latest steel buyers market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members.

Conditions in the US market remain tight as domestic demand is holding up with support from border wall projects and data center investments. The supply side has struggled to keep pace with weak import volumes, impacting the market. 

Service centers held only 2.24 months of supply (49.3 days of supply) of sheet products in March, according to our latest figures. If you check our archives, you’ll see that's the lowest sheet inventories we’ve seen since June 2021 – which was hardly a bad year for steel.

Steel mill lead times remained elevated this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.

Most sheet and plate buyers continue to report that mills are not negotiable on new order spot prices, according to our latest market survey conducted this week.

US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply declined for a third straight month in March, with shipping days of supply slipping to 49.3 on an adjusted basis, according to SMU data.

Thyssenkrupp Materials Services announced its majority stake acquisition of Aceroteca Trading, S.A.P.I. de C.V. in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, Mexico.  

Hyundai Steel and France-based Fives Group announced the signing of a contract for coil finishing lines for the Hyundai-POSCO joint steel mill proposed in Louisiana.