Category: Market Data

Flat-rolled steel prices inched upward again this week as mixed demand appeared to be offset by limited supplies.

Steel imports remain weak in November and December according to recently released final US Commerce Department data. Many of the sheet and plate products we follow slipped to multi-year lows.

The amount of raw steel produced by US mills eased last week according to the AISI. Production remains strong compared to the multi-month lows seen at the end of the year.

The latest Institute for Supply Management (ISM)’s Manufacturing PMI report found manufacturing activity expanded in January 2026. The preceding 26 consecutive months’ reports showed manufacturing activity in contraction.    

The Chicago Business Barometer rose further in January, moving into expansion territory for the first time since November 2023, said MNI and ISM.

Participants in the hot- and cold-rolled coil markets said winter storms in the East and Midwest may disrupt weekly order volumes and prices.  

The latest count of operational oil and gas rigs increased in both the US and Canada this week, according to the latest data released from Baker Hughes.

This news item was first published by CRU. To learn about CRU’s global commodities research and analysis services, visit www.crugroup.com. Canada’s Algoma Steel signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hanwha Ocean to support Canada’s submarine program and Algoma’s diversification strategy. A new structural steel beam mill may result. Financial support, subject to conditions being […]

All but one of the steelmaking raw materials we track increased in price over the last month

Metalforming manufacturers anticipate strong near-term economic conditions that will give way to increasing orders, according to the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report for January 2026. 

The price gap between US hot-rolled coil and landed offshore product inched higher, even as prices stateside and abroad mostly moved in tandem vs. last week.

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics earlier this week, ranging from market prices and demand, to inventories, imports, and evolving market events.

What do SMU's latest survey results show about the current market take on tariffs and where HRC prices are going?

Sheet prices mostly continued their uneven but steady march higher this week, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.

Raw steel output from US mills climbed last week to the highest rate seen in over four months, according to the latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures

The latest tally of operational oil and gas rigs increased this week in both the US and Canada, according to the latest figures published by Baker Hughes.

SMU columnist Daniel Doderer looks out over the economy as it regards the steel industry.

SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices both increased this week to multi-month highs

The total amount of raw steel produced around the world slipped 0.4% from November to an estimated 139.6 million metric tons (mt) in December, according worldsteel data.

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

Architecture firms across the US continued to face weak business conditions through the end of 2025, as economic conditions added to the uncertainty, said AIA.

Steel mill lead times held steady on most products this week following the surge seen in early January, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey

Just over a third of the steel buyers who responded to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are willing to talk price to secure new spot orders.

The volume of raw steel produced by US mills grew last week, holding on to the gains seen the prior week, according to the latest figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

SMU’s sheet price indices climbed to new multi-month highs this week, while plate prices marginally declined.

US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply recovered in December, after trending lower from September to November.

Economic activity across the US increased at a light-to-modest pace, according to the US Federal Reserve’s (The Fed) latest Beige Book report.

The amount of finished steel that entered the US market contracted from September to October, driven primarily by slowing domestic mill shipments, according to SMU’s analysis of Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data

The number of oil and gas rigs operating in the US fell this week, while Canadian activity recovered further, according to the latest data released from Baker Hughes.

SMU's steel market chatter this week.