Tube mills in the U.S. and Canada have followed Nucor in raising prices on hollow structural sections (HSS) and other non-energy tubulars by about $50 per ton ($2.50/cwt). The increases are necessary in response to higher coil costs and strong customer demand, according to some producers. Atlas Tube is raising prices on all new orders […]
Import license data for February is not complete, but foreign arrivals of some flat-rolled steel products are already running ahead of January volumes, according to Commerce Department figures. And with lead times at domestic mills running close to or even with import arrival times, that trend might continue, some market participants said. Hot Rolled and […]
Speculation that hot rolled steel prices could reach $1,200 per ton drew scoffs from some quarters just two months ago, yet here we are. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows the average HR price up a further $20 per ton to yet another record high. The HR price surpassed the former […]
Rio Tinto, Paul Wurth SA and SHS Stahl Holding Saar are exploring a potential hydrogen-based hot-briquetted iron (HBI) operation in Canada. The Anglo-Australian miner, the equipment manufacturer and the German steelmaker have already inked a memorandum of understanding. They will now conduct a feasibility study about an “industrial-scale” low-carbon iron production plant, according to a […]
Weekly raw steel production by U.S. mills continues to fluctuate–up five of the last seven weeks–as the week ending Feb. 13 totaled 1,743,000 net tons, up 2.2% from the week prior when production was 1,705,000 tons. The mill utilization rate was 76.9%, up from 75.2% one week ago, yet down 5.5% compared with the same […]
The U.S. Commerce Department has made a preliminary decision to eliminate anti-dumping margins on hot-rolled coil from South Korean steelmaker Hyundai Steel Co. Commerce calculated anti-dumping margins of 0.00% for hot band made by Hyundai, according to the results of an administrative review signed by Christian Marsh, the acting assistant secretary of the Commerce Department’s Enforcement and […]
U.S. apparent steel supply rebounded significantly in December, up 6.4% to 7.79 million net tons, according to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute data. While supply levels have improved each month since May, recall that April and May were the two lowest levels seen in the last 10 years […]
This report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products. As of December 2020, imports’ share of total sheet products was 12.3%, up from 11.4% in November. The increase, albeit marginal, is notable as it’s the first increase for imports after declining for seven consecutive months following the most recent peak of 16.6% in […]
A division of PTC Alliance has acquired “substantially all” of the assets of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) producer Boomerang Tube. The subsidiary, PTC Liberty Tubulars LLC, has in addition scooped up the assets of Southern Tube LLC in Houston, the company said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “This acquisition brings together two […]
U.S. steel imports are on the upswing. December steel import figures were finalized at 1.50 million net tons, up 9% from one month prior and up 18% over September’s 11-year low of 1.26 million tons. January import licenses are up 47% from the month prior to 2.20 million tons, the highest monthly level seen since […]
After declining 8% the prior month, U.S. steel exports decreased another 8% in December, finishing off the last month of the year at 616,000 tons, according to recent U.S. Department of Commerce data. 2020 saw quite a swing in monthly export levels; the year started strong, nearing 700,000 tons in January through March. Then the […]
Section 232 tariffs and quotas have left domestic steelmakers and steel consumers in sharply different realities. One side is investing big at home and enjoying record profits. The other is angry about sharply higher costs and is scouting for more steel abroad. That was the takeaway from a trade roundtable at Steel Market Update’s virtual Tampa […]
Last year was a difficult one for the domestic steel industry as the U.S. economy struggled to recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. That struggle is reflected in the latest shipment data, which shows that U.S. steel shipments plunged nearly 16% in 2020. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, U.S. mills shipped […]
Despite all the speculation about an impending peak, Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows steel prices continuing to rise. SMU puts the current average HR price at a new high of $1,180 per ton, the fifth new high-water mark since the second week of January when the spot market surpassed the […]
Interest in imported flat-rolled steel is growing among some U.S. buyers thanks to a widening spread between domestic mill prices and foreign offers. Some market participants said they had already purchased material at what they thought was an attractive price–and because long domestic mill lead times reduce the risk of buying imports. But others said […]
Weekly raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,705,000 net tons in the week ending Feb. 6, 2021, a decrease of 1.2 percent compared with the week prior when production was 1,725,000 net tons. Raw steel production in the early going of 2021 has fluctuated week on week. The average mill utilization rate dipped to 75.2 […]
Canada has determined that plate imported from Germany and Taiwan has injured its domestic plate industry and will impose anti-dumping duties as a result. Plate from Turkey was exempted from the trade action because the volumes exported to Canada were found to be “negligible,” the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) said. The decision–released late last […]
A decision from the U.S. Court of International Trade upholding Section 232 tariffs on imported steel means any repeal of the trade action will have to come from the Biden administration with the support of Congress, a top American Metals Supply Chain Institute (AMSCI) executive said. AMSCI should know because it went before the same […]
The U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) has upheld the legality of Section 232 tariffs following a legal challenge lodged by consumers of foreign steel. The ruling deals a blow to the plaintiffs–Universal Steel Products, PSK Steel Corp., The Jordan International Company, Dayton Parts LLC and Borusan Mannesmann Pipe U.S. Inc.–which claimed that they had […]
Among steelmaking raw materials, the prices of iron ore, pig iron and scrap saw large gains in January compared to months prior, up as much as 86 percent year over year. Coking coal prices, which rebounded compared to recent months, were still down 9 percent in January versus prices one year ago. Zinc prices have declined […]
U.S. flat-rolled steel prices remain on the rise thanks to strong demand, thin spot supplies and limited short-term competition from imports. While some sources think imports could send domestic prices lower, others note that foreign steel suffers from the late deliveries that have plagued customers of domestic mills. “Too much risk ordering foreign steel with lead times into […]
President Joe Biden has revoked a decision–made in the waning days of the Trump administration–to remove Section 232 tariffs from aluminum imported from the UAE. “In my view, the available evidence indicates that imports from the UAE may still displace domestic production, and thereby threaten to impair our national security,” Biden wrote in a presidential […]
As lower-emission electric arc furnace (EAF) mills become the predominant steelmaking method in the United States and other parts of the world, demand for pig iron, used to dilute the inclusions in melted scrap, will only grow. This trend has fueled speculation that integrated producers in the U.S. may repurpose idled blast furnaces for commercial […]
American Heavy Plates has named steel industry veteran Jack Biegalski to be its new president and chief operating officer and Roxana Stoicea to be its chief financial officer. Biegalski, who has 35 years of experience in steel, most recently worked as director of sales and marketing for plate at ArcelorMittal USA. Stoicea has 15 years […]
Weekly raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,725,000 net tons in the week ending Jan. 30, resuming a positive move after a small dip the week prior. Production was up 0.5 percent from the week before when the total was 1,717,000 net tons. The mill utilization rate was 76.1 percent, up from 75.7 percent […]
Cracks might be forming in the groundwork that has to date led U.S. flat-rolled steel prices to their highest point on record. Whether they are big enough to send towering prices tumbling down or merely a distraction remains to be seen, markets sources generally agreed. Prices have nowhere to go but up in the short […]
Updated preliminary data now shows December steel imports nearing 1.5 million net tons, up 9 percent from November levels, but down 1 percent from October. Recall that back in September, total steel imports reached an 11-year low of 1.26 million tons. January import licenses are currently at 1.90 million tons, up dramatically due to the […]
Evraz North America has followed Nucor and SSAB Americas in increasing plate prices by at least $80 per ton ($4/cwt). The steelmaker said that the increase was effective immediately and that it applied equally to all carbon, high-strength low-alloy, hot-rolled coil, normalized, and quenched-and-tempered products, according to a letter to customers Jan. 26. “We reserve the […]
Steel prices continue to trek upward. But the pace has slowed, and questions about whether the market is at or near a summit have re-emerged. “Talked to two large OEMs that are postponing buys for the next few weeks. They believe we are at peak right now,” one respondent to Steel Market Update’s check of […]
Nucor and SSAB Americas aim to increase plate prices by another $80 per ton ($4/cwt). Effective immediately, Nucor’s new ex-works base price for cut-to-length grade A36 plate is $1,020 per ton ($51/cwt), up from $940 per ton on Jan. 5, according to a letter sent to customers on Tuesday. The new base price for quenched-and-tempered A514 […]