Category: SMU

The pig iron market in the Brazil-to-US trade flow is showing strength as supply concerns and increased logistical costs impact recent sales negotiations.

The spread between domestic hot-rolled coil and prime scrap prices widened in March, marking a six-month trend.

Sometimes it feels like current events are like a fireworks show that got set off all at once by mistake. In all the commotion, it's hard to know where to look... or where to run.

SMU's sheet and plate prices were flat or higher this week in a US market that remains characterized by extended lead times and limited spot availability.

Raw production has trended upwards since the start of the year, reaching a four-year high in February.

Prices are moving up and lead times moving. And most people expect them to continue to do so for a little while longer, according to our latest survey results. But there is one big wildcard: the Iran war.

Plate sources say they’re welcoming imports as domestic mill delivery delays, extended lead times, and climbing prices make fully adopting US-produced plate products unrealistic.  

Cold-rolled (CR) coil prices ticked up in the US this week, matching a similar trend seen in most offshore markets as well.

Market participant comments from this month's SMU Ferrous Scrap Survey.

Oregon Steel Mills and SSAB Americas announced higher plate prices to close out the week.

SMU’s Current Sentiment Index for scrap inched up in March, according to the latest data from our ferrous scrap survey. Meanwhile, the Future Sentiment Index remained locked at the same level for the fourth consecutive month.

Steel buyers remain optimistic for their current and future business prospects, though not as strong as they did one year ago.

SMU’s March ferrous scrap market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members.

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

Following extensions in February, steel mill lead times held steady or extended further for both sheet and plate products this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.

Broadly speaking, there should be enough scrap to go around. The question we should consider more urgently: Do regional dislocations - whether caused by tariffs, carbon regulations, weather, or conflict - allow scrap to go where mills need it most at a price they can afford?

The price gap between US hot-rolled coil (HR) and landed offshore product tightened this week, as stateside tags continue to rise.

Most steel buyers responding to our market survey this week said domestic mills remain unwilling to negotiate lower prices for new spot orders.

The US domestic ferrous scrap buying for March shipment is wrapping up this week, with many sources reporting a sideways outcome.

Let’s say the going price for HR is around $1,000/st. Want to place a 1,000-ton spot order at that price? Good luck. It probably won’t be easy.

SMU's sheet and plate prices increased this week to new multi-month highs.

Grupo Acerero SA de CV (GASA) reported increasing shipments at the end of 2025 as the steel producer ramps up a new slab mill in north-central Mexico.

Domestic raw steel production has strengthened since the start of the year and reached a four-year high in mid-February.

Nucor’s consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil increased to $1,005 per short ton (st), up $15/st from last week.

I grew up in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, surrounded by the Serra do Curral mountains, and a culture steeped in mining and vast iron ore reserves.

Tariff-related litigation in the US and around the world reflects the willingness of the president to act without consulting Congress or our trading partners. We're seeing the impulse to act without congressional approval in international relations too.

Sources in the domestic hot- and cold-rolled coil market said they are beginning to feel prices creeping up this week.  

December supply increased 7% from November to the third-lowest monthly rate of the year.

The US scrap market is looking to emerge from a bad winter that has affected both inbound and outbound flows of material since December.

Graphite electrodes are critical to electric-arc furnace steelmaking and the production of other non-ferrous metals.