Steel Market Update saw the percentage of manufacturing companies reporting steel service center flat rolled steel spot prices as declining increase from 20 percent in early February to 54 percent at the beginning of March. This past week Steel Market Update (SMU) conducted our early March analysis of the flat rolled steel markets. This is […]
There are situations at two mills which are causing sleepless nights for some flat rolled steel buyers. AK Steel is helping tighten the Midwest market and keeping prices from plunging perhaps further than they may have otherwise. As one of our steel sources put it to Steel Market Update today, “…the further reduction of melt […]
There are situations at two mills which are causing sleepless nights for some flat rolled steel buyers. AK Steel, through the loss of their Ashland blast furnace, is helping tighten the Midwest market and keeping steel prices from plunging perhaps further than they may have otherwise. As one of our steel sources put it to […]
Nucor Chairman, President and CEO John Ferriola and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal dedicated the completed Nucor Louisiana facility in St. James Parish on Monday. The $750 million DRI plant began production in December 2013 and is Phase 1 of a potential five phase $3.4 billion project. Construction of the plant began in March 2011 at a ground […]
AK Steel lost their Ashland, Kentucky blast furnace on February 22nd. The furnace, which is called Amanda, is rated at 6,000 net tons per day according to AIST data. According to customers of AK Steel, the company found a crack in the bottom of the furnace and the expected repairs are expected to take three […]
The sale of ThyssenKrupp USA to 50/50 joint venture partners ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation is finally complete. The $1.5 billion acquisition of the Calvert, Ala., hot rolled, cold rolled and coating and finishing mill has met all regulatory approvals allowing ThyssenKrupp a sigh of relief and AM & NSSMC the opportunity […]
The table below provides a quick look at the status of important commodity inputs used in the steel making or coating process (zinc and aluminum are used to make galvanized and Galvalume, etc.):
During the month of February the U.S. Department of Commerce released their preliminary determinations regarding anti-dumping duty suits which were brought by the domestic steel mills and OCTG producers against 9 countries. The results will not make the domestic mills and OCTG happy as the biggest fish – Korea – escaped unscathed. The U.S. Department […]
ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC) announced the new name for the “world’s most modern steel finishing facility”—the former ThyssenKrupp mill in Alabama—will be AM/NS Calvert. The announcement was made during a private employee-only reception held at facility on Thursday. “The name is AM/NS Calvert. AM and NS need no explanation. And […]
US Steel Canada announced that 30-year Stelco and US Steel veteran Kevin Wong will take over as plant manager at US Steel Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke. Wong’s current position as plant manager at US Steel Hamilton Works will be eliminated. Wong will replace American manager David Armstrong II who will move to the Gary, […]
The sale of ThyssenKrupp USA to 50/50 joint venture partners ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation is finally complete. The $1.5 billion acquisition of the Calvert, Ala., hot rolled, cold rolled and coating and finishing mill has met all regulatory approvals allowing ThyssenKrupp a sigh of relief and AM & NSSMC the opportunity […]
ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp (NSSMC) sent a letter to Calvert customers on Thursday assuring them of a seamless transition for the Alabama facility. The existing Calvert sales team will be integrated into the ArcelorMittal USA sales and marketing organization. Customers will be able to work with their current customer representative while […]
Olympic Steel reported a net loss of $1.4 million for the fourth quarter 2013. Net sales for the quarter were $290.5 million, nearly even with Q4 2012 sales of $291.7 million Full year results showed an increase in net income to $7.6 million. Full year sales declined 8.7 percent to $1.3 billion in 2013, shy […]
US Steel says it will lay off workers at its Lorain Tubular Operations. The number of affected employees and timeline has not yet been announced. The statement from US Steel regarding the layoffs is as follows: “We continually review and analyze business conditions and the impact they have on our customers. As a result of […]
AK Steel has lost their Ashland, Kentucky blast furnace. The furnace, which is called Amanda, is rated at 6,000 net tons per day according to AIST data. According to customers of AK Steel, the company found a crack in the bottom of the furnace and the expected repairs are expected to take three weeks. When […]
Australian company BlueScope Steel announced EBIT of AUD$48.7 million ($44 million) for its Hot Rolled Products North America segment for the first half of FY 2014 ending December 31, 2013. EBIT increased 48 percent from the same period in FY 2013. The segment includes a 50 percent interest in US-based North Star BlueScope Steel Ltd […]
The US is experiencing a revolution in the oil and gas markets. The spot price of natural gas delivered to the Henry Hub in Louisiana has risen by 50 percent since January 10th and was $6.55 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on Wednesday, February 19. This is the highest spot price in over five […]
A stronger performance is expected in all end-markets for 2014 said Reliance Steel & Aluminum in the company’s recent conference call. The following are some comments by Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board David Hannah and Gregg Mollins, President and Chief Operating Officer on the steel market and industry. Regarding pricing Gregg Mollins […]
Total service center carbon steel shipments jumped by 662,100 tons in January which was a smaller start-of-year bounce than either 2012 or 2013. January tons per day shipments increased by 24,000 to 158,500 tons. In January 2012 and 2013, tons per day shipments increased by 35,000 and 38,000 tons, respectively. Intake was 167,100 tons, leading […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Company reports fourth quarter 2013 sales for all products were $2.31 billion, up 22.1 percent from $1.89 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012 and down 5.6 percent from $2.44 billion in the third quarter of 2013. Net income for the quarter was $61.8 million, compared to $95.1 million in third […]
Latin America steel producer Ternium reports net sales of $2.1 billion on 2.23 million tons of steel shipments and 994,000 tons of iron ore shipments in the fourth quarter 2013. Steel shipments were down 3 percent from third quarter but up 3.0 percent from fourth quarter 2012. Net income was $171.1 million, up from $136 […]
The domestic steel mills and oil country tubular goods (OCTG) manufacturing companies which filed dumping cases against India, the Philippines, Saudia Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam are happy. However, the big fish – Korea – escaped with no duties being instituted. The U.S. Department of Commerce released affirmative preliminary determinations […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) participates in a monthly galvanized steel conference call with the HARDI wholesalers, manufacturing companies and service centers associated with the HVAC related organization. The wholesalers in the Upper Midwest, East Coast and as far west as Wichita, Kansas reported having lost 5-6 days of shipments due to inclement weather in their […]
The Metal Service Center Institute (MSCI) reported today that January 2014 carbon steel shipments were essentially flat (same) as one year ago. However, flat rolled shipments improved compared to one year ago. You can view the MSCI press release on shipments and inventories on their website. Service centers shipped 3,648,200 tons of steel products during […]
Canadian service center shipments for all steel products were reported at 495,300 net tons (NT) in January, up 42.0 percent over December 2013 shipments but down 5.2 percent from January 2013 figures. With 22 shipping days in January, daily shipments are calculated to have been 22,500 tons per day, up from 17,400 tons per day […]
Nucor Corp. announced the election of Gregory J. Hayes to the board of directors on Feb. 17, effective immediately. Hayes has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United Technologies Inc. (UTC), a provider of high-technology products to the global aerospace and building systems industries, since 2008. Prior to UTC, Hayes served […]
There are always two sides of a coin. When looking at AK Steel, buyers are seeing a mill aggressively offering hot rolled at the lower end of the SMU HR pricing range while, at the same time, fully annealed cold rolled and galvanized are on an inquire only basis. Steel Market Update has received mixed […]
ThyssenKrupp AG finances are beginning to improve. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) more than doubled to €247 million ($338 million) in the first quarter FY 2013-2014 (ending Dec. 31, 2013). Net debt dropped to €4.6 billion ($6.3 billion) from €5 billion ($6.8 billion) the previous quarter. ThyssenKrupp’s gearing ratio (net debt to equity) was […]
Essar Steel Algoma posted a net loss of 38.6 million for the third quarter FY 2014, ending December 31, 2013, compared to a net loss of $25.1 million for third quarter FY 2013. Severe winter weather slowed incoming raw material shipments affecting production for the quarter. Steel shipments were 590,837 tons, down from 642,000 tons […]
A locomotive operator at the Nucor Steel Arkansas Hickman facility died from a head injury Tuesday morning after the train he was riding on derailed. Mr. Thomas Dazey, 48, who has been employed at Nucor for 18 years, was pronounced dead at the scene by Mississippi County Coroner Mike Godsey. The Blytheville Courier News reported employees […]