Category: SMU

US steel exports improved 2% from March to April to the highest monthly volume seen in 13 months. Although up, trade remains historically low

SMU’s June 12 Flat-Rolled Steel Buyers’ Survey shows a divided steel community on the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies, emerging but uneven signs of reshoring, and near-universal cost pressures tied to the Iran conflict.

Total heating and cooling equipment shipments declined 5% in April, according to AHRI figures.

US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply declined for a fourth straight month in May, with shipping days of supply slipping to 44.7 on an adjusted basis, according to SMU data.

Summer doldrums? Not this year! SMU’s latest steel market survey indicates that an increasing number of steel buyers think prices will continue to rise along with the mercury.

The Trump tariffs have driven the mundane world of traditional “trade remedies” off the front pages. But antidumping and countervailing duty measures are still with us, and new cases are on the upswing lately.

In just a little over two months, the flat-rolled steel industry will gather in Atlanta to uncover the decisions, innovations, and forces shaping the market today — and what’s coming next.

Friedman Industries posted record sales, higher volumes, and sharply improved earnings in fiscal 2026. This was driven by stronger demand, higher average selling prices, and continued contributions from its Century Metals acquisition.

After reaching historic lows late last year, import volumes have increased each month of 2026, according to recently released US Commerce Department data.

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

SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices remained strongly optimistic this week and continue to indicate that buyers are confident in their companies’ prospects.

The World Cup only comes around every four years. So let's take a walk down memory lane to see where the steel market stood four years ago.

A major trade case finalized late last year, along with higher Section 232 tariffs, account for the reduced imports.

Steel mill lead times extended this week on both sheet and plate products, now at multi-year highs.

One possible reason for the lull in activity is the ambiguity of the tariff treatment of Brazilian pig iron following an announcement last week from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) about Section 301 tariffs.

This week we saw continued low negotiation rates across all products, with cold rolled and plate the least negotiable and galvanized the most.

Gregg Troian, industry veteran and president of both PGT Trucking and the Board of Directors at the American Transportation Research Institute, cautions that the trucking industry continues to face mounting obstacles.  

The Office of the US Trade Representative has proposed a Section 301 tariff carve-out for direct-reduced iron (DRI) and hot-briquetted iron (HBI) from Brazil while planning higher tariffs for other major suppliers.

The price gap between US hot-rolled coil (HR) and landed offshore product continues to narrow, as stateside prices are now, on average, carrying a premium over imports. Domestic tags are still outpacing imported hot band as pricing dynamics diverge.

Has anyone seen a creature called the “spot ton” in the wild? I ask because they used to be a common sight. And now I hear they’re endangered.

Fresh off the closing of Worthington Steel’s acquisition of Kloeckner & Co., Worthington President and CEO Geoff Gilmore sat down with SMU to reflect on the transaction and outline the path forward.

All five of SMU’s price indices increased this week to new multi-year highs. Prices have increased by 20-25% since the beginning of the year.

The bulk deep-sea export market in the Atlantic Basin has not shown much movement lately. Buyers in Turkey have limited their activity in an attempt to bring prices down in both the US and Northern Europe. However, this does not seem to be working to a significant extent.

Two countries have ramped up slab exports to the US in the wake of declining tonnages from other major suppliers, despite overall slab imports falling by nearly a third from last year.

The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) grew in May, up from a downwardly revised April reading. Gains were again driven by data centers, though healthcare, retail, and office grew vs. April.

Longtime steel veteran Robert Simon is excited about the transformation taking place at JSW Steel USA. And he has a rosy outlook for the rest of the year.

Most companies making steel are making a lot money. And they will continue to as current high prices flow into contracts in Q3. I don’t want to kill the vibe. (No one likes that guy.) But let’s put on your risk-manager cap for a second and imagine what might keep everything from moving up and to the right indefinitely.

A Mexican court has approved the joint auction of AHMSA and its MINOSA mining assets for $1.33 billion, paving the way for a single buyer to take control of both businesses.

Atlas Tube, a Zekelman company, said on Friday it has agreed to form a joint venture with Maruichi USA.

The Association of Cold Rolled Specialty Steel (ACRSS) officially responds to the formal investigation Mexico opened into cold-rolled steel imports from the US