Last week’s mill price increases continue to make their way into the market. Cliffs’ latest this week – up another $100 per ton ($5 per cwt) and setting a new base price for hot band of $1,100 per ton – has yet to be reflected in today’s pricing. But that hasn’t stopped it from garnering […]
Raw steel production by US mills recovered last week after declining slightly the week prior, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, Feb. 27. The increase pushed capacity utilization up to 74.9%, driven by gains in tons in all regions except for the Northeast. This is up from […]
Cleveland-Cliffs aims to push its hot-rolled coil price up by at least another $100 per ton ($5 per cwt) in its fourth sheet price hike this month. Cliffs made the announcement in a press release on Monday, Feb. 27, just six days after announcing another $100-per-ton increase. Cliffs said its new target base price for hot […]
US plate prices have remained mostly flat this week, a trend we’ve seen since Nucor announced a plate price cut in late November. Recall that in late November, Nucor said it would be lowering plate prices by $140 per ton ($7 per cwt) with the opening of its January order book. Plate tags have varied […]
New, single‐family home sales rebounded slightly in January in response to declining mortgage rates and home prices in December, according to a joint report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the US Census Bureau. The result was helped by home builders’ use of sales incentives, which boosted new home sales, the […]
Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, email info@steelmarketupdate.com. World crude steel production rebounded month on month (MoM) in January, driven by widespread increases worldwide. Global production was down, though, more than 6% vs. the same period last year, according to World […]
SSAB Americas has announced plans to increase plate prices by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt). The price hike applies equally to as-rolled, normalized, quenched-and-tempered, and wide cut-to-length plate products. It is effective immediately on all new, non-contract orders, the company said in a letter to customers on Friday, Feb. 24. SSAB said […]
Existing home sales declined for the 12th month in a row in January, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). All four major regions in the US registered year-over-year (YoY) drops, though sales were mixed month over month (MoM) among the four regions. The South and West regions registered increases MoM, while the East and Midwest […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) lost its competitive price advantage over imported steel, ending a 16-week run. The turn came as domestic mills continue to drive prices up at a faster clip than mills overseas, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately 3% more expensive than foreign prices […]
Imported sheet and plate products’ arrival at US ports declined in December, leading their share of the US markets to edge lower, while domestic shipments gained ground during the month. That’s according to a Steel Market Update analysis of import data from the US Commerce Department and domestic shipment figures from the American Iron and […]
Total US mill shipments of steel products declined in December, easing for the second straight month after fluctuating up and down for much of the year. December was the lowest mill shipment total for 2022, falling to the lowest total since February 2021. Shipments totaled 7.27 million tons in December, a 1% decrease from November’s 7.34 […]
North American auto assemblies rose 16.1% in January, recovering for the first time in three months. Last month’s assembly output was among one of the highest in nearly two years and 13.8% higher year on year (YoY), according to LMC Automotive data. On the supply side, inventory levels are expected to gradually improve this year as […]
US light-vehicle (LV) sales slowed to an unadjusted sales figure of 1.03 million units in January, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported. Despite the month-on-month (MoM) decline, January’s total was still 4.2% higher year-on-year (YoY), and the sixth consecutive month to see YoY increases in sales. LV sales were up 17.73% MoM in December on […]
Sheet prices increased this week as another blitz of price hikes – this time $100 per ton ($5/cwt) – spurred the market higher. The latest announcements from the likes of Nucor, Cliffs, US Steel, and ArcelorMittal, all setting a new base price for hot band of $1,000 per ton, are yet to be reflected in […]
Raw steel production by US mills slipped last week following five straight weeks of increases, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The decline pushed capacity utilization down to 74%, driven by decreases in tons in all regions except for the South. This is down from […]
Cleveland-Cliffs didn’t take long to join Nucor in increasing spot prices for steel sheet by at least another $100 per ton ($5 per cwt). The Cleveland-based steelmaker, like Nucor, is also targeting a base price of $1,000 per ton for hot-rolled coil (HRC). Cliffs said the increase was effective immediately and applied equally to all […]
Nucor Corp. is pushing its hot-rolled coil price up by at least another $100 per ton ($5 per cwt), its third sheet price hike in a matter of three weeks. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company, the largest steelmaker in the US, said the move was effective immediately for base prices on new orders. Nucor made the […]
The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the Analysis tab and look under the “Survey Results” section for “Latest Survey Results.” Historical survey results are also available in the Survey Results section under “Survey Results History.” If you need help […]
Nucor Corp. will again keep plate prices unchanged with the opening of its April order book. The steelmaker has now repeatedly maintained its plate tags since its sharp price cut in late November when it lowered plate prices by $140 per ton ($7 per cwt). The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker said the move was effective on […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) kept its competitive price advantage over imported steel – now on a 16-week run. However, it has continued to lose momentum over the past four weeks, according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately 2.2% cheaper than foreign prices this week, down from 3.4% […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. saw its best financial performance in 2022 on record-breaking sales of $17.03 billion, nearly 21% above 2021. The results were achieved “across nearly every metric during a period of continued metal price volatility and broader economic uncertainty,” Reliance president and CEO Karla Lewis said in earnings commentary released on Thursday, Feb. 16. […]
The “new normal,” we have heard that a whole lot since the pandemic took hold. Are we really seeing a paradigm shift? Or is it just a trendy phrase? But, first, let’s talk about price hikes. If three’s a crowd, then what’s five – a herd? The week got off to a quick start early […]
Raw steel production by US mills continued its rally, increasing for a fifth straight week, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The increase pushed capacity utilization up to 74.4%, driven by increases in tons in the South and Northeast regions. This is up from the […]
US Steel Corp. got in on the action and increased spot prices for carbon steel sheet by at least $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). The move is effective immediately, the company said in a letter to customers dated Monday, Feb.13, and joining Nucor and Cleveland-Cliffs in their efforts to boost sheet tags. The latest price […]
Nucor Corp. is pushing hot-rolled coil price up by at least another $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt), its second sheet price hike in ten days. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company, the largest steelmaker in the US, said the move was effective immediately for base prices on new orders. Nucor made the announcement in a letter to […]
Preliminary Census data indicate that steel imports will have totaled 2.48 million net tons for the month of January. While up nearly 13% from the prior month, January levels are still down more than 3% compared to the previous 12-month average. Recall that monthly import levels declined nearly 17% month on month (MoM) in November, […]
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized coil base prices have been in holding pattern. The spread has been hovering around the $200 per ton ($10 per cwt) since the end of November. Figure 1 shows both SMU’s hot rolled and galvanized prices. SMU’s HRC price averaged $810 per ton as of Tuesday, Feb. 7, an […]
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues its competitive price advantage run over imported steel – now 15 weeks running – though it did lose some momentum week on week (WoW), according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis. US HRC is approximately 3.2% cheaper than foreign prices this week, down from 7.4% last […]
The construction industry added 25,000 employees in January month over month (MoM), while boosting wages for hourly workers vs. competing industries in a bid to attract more workers, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) said in a statement. The industry was benefiting from relatively strong demand for construction projects as firms still struggle to […]
SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects on Monday and Tuesday of this week, including current and future steel prices, inventory strategies, supply, demand, and new mill capacity. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! […]