Category: US

Steel mill lead times remained extended this week on both sheet and plate products. Current production times three to four weeks longer than levels seen last summer.

During Worthington Steel’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call on June 25, company executives cited interest rates as a market headwind.

Domestic steelmakers told the Congressional Steel Caucus that strong trade enforcement and Section 232 tariffs continue to drive higher production, new investment, and facility restarts nationwide.

Steel buyers negotiation rates remain at or near historic lows across most sheet and plate products.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) said architecture billings showed signs of cooling in May, with the headline index reading notably below 50.

The company announced an investment of more than $90 million for its steel shop in Koppel, Pa., and its seamless pipe manufacturing plant in Ambridge, Pa.

The investment will install a new quench-and-tempering line at the facility, which manufactures seamless pipe and tube.

Galvanized sheet buyers and distributors report that strong demand and constrained supply persist, exerting upward pressure on prices.

US sheet prices continue to move higher on extremely limited spot availability, solid demand, and extended lead times.

Wells Fargo Managing Director Timna Tanners will join Steel Market Update (SMU) and Aluminum Market Update (AMU) for a Community Chat on Wednesday, June 24, at 11 am ET.

US raw steel production has eased over the past month following the multi-year high seen in May, according to recent American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data

CRU: Tight market balance will drive up US steel plate prices, while weak demand and lower CBAM costs will pull European prices down. Weather risks will shape Asian markets, from Chinese rain disruptions to uneven Indian monsoons.

Leeco Steel has announced changes to two regional operational manager positions.

Nucor announced on Monday, June 22, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil will be $1,130 per short ton for the week, up $5/st from last week. 

As the US enters negotiations and possible annual reviews of the USMCA, policymakers should preserve the S232 tariffs, which have clearly been necessary to protect the US steel industry.

South Korea has overtaken Canada as the top foreign supplier of steel to the US market.

For the next month, CRU forecasts that iron ore demand will fall m/m while metallurgical coal to be stable.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) said it expects to record a $16 million asset write-down in the second quarter after deciding to relocate a planned Aluminum Dynamics (ADI) recycled aluminum slab casting center from Benson, Ariz., to Columbus, Miss.

Hot-rolled coil market participants report little disruption to their contact volumes, finding timely spot HR proved less straightforward, some sources told SMU. 

The US HRC futures curve has continued to move higher, particularly in the deferred months, suggesting the market is pricing a slower return to balance.

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

“The issue we heard most about is healthcare. You were loud and clear at every location and in the surveys that maintaining our healthcare benefits is a top issue," the USW said.

Drilling activity ticked higher this week in both the US and Canada, according to recently released rig count figures from Baker Hughes.

SMU’s average price for domestic HR was $1,130 per short ton (st) this week, $15/st higher week over week (w/w). In offshore markets last week, prices were largely down, following a trend seen since late April.

Steel Dynamics Inc. expects to post higher sequential earnings in the second quarter, with “meaningfully higher” profitability from its steel operations.

SMU’s Steel Demand Index ticked back up from late May, remaining in elevated territory, according to mid-June indicators.

Nucor expects higher earnings in the second quarter, both sequentially and year over year, and anticipates increased profits sequentially across all its operating segments. The steel mills segment is expected to see the biggest boost.

May was the fifth consecutive month of expansion for the US manufacturing sector, according to the most recent Institute for Supply Management (ISM) report.

SMU’s Mill Order Index recovered in May, reclaiming some momentum lost the month prior.

Ferrous scrap prices for June came in sideways, scrap sources told SMU.