Gerdau SA is divesting its Beaumont, Texas, wire rod mill and two downstream operations, Beaumont Wire Products and Carrollton Wire Products, to reduce its footprint in the U.S. long products market. Optimus Steel LLC will acquire the facilities for $92.5 million in a deal to close by the end of the year. The sale is […]
ArcelorMittal’s NAFTA segment saw crude steel production decrease 5.2 percent to 5.6 million metric tons in the fourth quarter due to operational issues in Mexico, planned maintenance at Dofasco, and a slower U.S. market. Steel shipments declined 8.9 percent to 4.2 million metric tons, primarily driven by lower volumes in flat and long products. Sales […]
ArcelorMittal announced that it will invest CAD $70 million (U.S. $56.8 million) in its Contrecoeur, Quebec, wire rod and bar facilities. Two reheating furnaces will be replaced at Contrecoeur-East wire rod mill and its Contrecoeur-West steel bar mill. The furnaces will increase the company’s rolling capacity by 100,000 metric tons with greater efficiency and reduced […]
Service center shipments in December were stronger than the seasonal norm, according to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Metals Service Center Institute data. Daily shipments in December were 11.8 percent lower than in November. On average since 2009, December shipments have decreased by 13.1 percent; therefore, these latest numbers were seasonally better than the […]
On March 28 and 29, 2018, Steel Market Update will conduct our next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop in Merrillville, Ind. This workshop will include a tour of the NLMK USA Portage, Ind., steel mill. Why do companies send employees to our Steel 101 workshops? Because they receive a broader […]
On March 28 & 29, 2018 Steel Market Update will conduct our next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop in Merriville, Indiana. This workshop will include a tour of the NLMK USA Portage, Indiana steel mill. Why do companies send employees to our Steel 101 workshop? Because they receive a broader […]
NLMK USA’s 2017 sales hit an all-time high of 2.25 million metric tons (2.48 million net tons), a surge of 21 percent, supported by demand from pipe manufacturers, construction companies and machine builders. Pricing for steel products in the U.S. grew by 15-19 percent compared to 2016. Growth was also positively impacted by the re-start […]
Imports of rolled steel into the United States have been on the decline since peaking in July, based on a three-month moving average of government import data through the end of 2017. In three months through December compared to three months through September, total rolled steel imports declined by 16.8 percent, while sheet products dropped […]
In Q1 2018, long product imports increased by 9.5 percent compared to Q4 2017. Total long product imports were down by 150,000 tons per month year over year on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, but there was a turn for the worse in the first quarter, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of federal […]
The tug-of-war between steel and aluminum for a greater share of the lucrative automotive materials market will be on full display beginning this week at the North American International Auto Show. The Detroit auto extravaganza will run from Jan. 13-28, showcasing the latest and greatest in automotive design as carmakers strive to wow consumers and […]
Steel Market Update anticipates conducting five Steel 101 workshops during calendar year 2018. Our January workshop scheduled for Mobile, Ala., later this month is sold out. Steel Market Update’s next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals Workshop will be held in Merrillville, Ind., on March 28-29, 2018. The two-day session will include […]
Key market indicators bode well for business conditions in the first quarter of 2018. Steel Market Update’s view of the present situation based on our examination of data released in December shows that 47.2 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance is within the historically normal band. […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. provided guidance on fourth-quarter earnings, predicting a lower sequential quarter. Planned outages at the company’s flat rolled divisions resulted in higher costs and lower value-added shipments, reducing pretax earnings by approximately $27 million. Flat rolled steel pricing declined at a steeper rate than prices for scrap raw material. The long products division […]
Service center shipments in November declined by 2.5 percent, close to the normal seasonal change for this time of year, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of Metals Service Center Institute data. Daily shipments in November were 2.5 percent lower than in October. On average since 2009, November has decreased by 2.1 percent from the […]
Steel Market Update’s next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals Workshop will be held in Merrillville, Ind., on March 28-29, 2018. The two-day session will include a tour of the NLMK USA steel mill. • Do you have new employees who would benefit from learning about steel making (EAF and Integrated Process), […]
Rolled steel imports into the United States declined by 12.7 percent in the three-month period from September-November, compared with the prior three months, June-August. Sheet products declined by 11.4 percent on the same basis, according to weekly licensed import tonnages reported by of the U.S. Department of Commerce on Dec. 5. The data is reported […]
Steel Market Update’s steel market indicators show improved trends in the November data. In our examination of data released in November, our view of the present situation is that 47.2 percent of the 36 indicators are historically positive with only 19 percent negative. The balance is within the band of historically normal. The total of […]
Service center shipments in October exceeded expectations, led by long products and plate, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of Metals Service Center Institute data. Daily shipments in October were 1.9 percent higher than in September. On average since 2009, October has decreased by 1.9 percent, therefore these latest numbers were better than the historical […]
As I move around the flat rolled steel industry, communicating with manufacturing companies, service centers, traders and steel mills, I am receiving mixed messages about the market. A good example is the HARDI steel committee conference call that was held earlier today. HARDI wholesalers, the companies who supply the HVAC mechanical contractors in the building […]
Total rolled steel imports declined by 14.0 percent in the three months through October, compared to the three months through July. Sheet products were down by 12.6 percent on the same basis, based on final license data for October reported by of the U.S. Commerce Department on Nov. 7. The data is reported within the […]
Registration is now open for Steel Market Update’s next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop. This steel training workshop will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Merrillville, Ind., located just outside of Chicago. As part of this workshop, we will be touring the NLMK USA Portage, Ind., steel mill. […]
Commercial Metals Co., a Texas-based long products producer and scrap recycler, reported a profitable fiscal 2017 despite imports of rebar and other products that continue to squeeze margins. CMC management is hopeful the company will get an assist from Washington in the coming year. “The need for infrastructure renewal is overwhelming, but the issue is […]
Steel Dynamics and CEO Mark Millett are expecting a tighter steel market in the fourth quarter. After surging ahead of possible Section 232 trade action, import levels have declined and, coupled with strengthening order rates and longer lead times, steel prices are expected to appreciate significantly, said Millet in remarks during the company’s quarterly conference […]
Service centers’ daily steel shipments in September were 0.9 percent higher than in August, matching the average since 2009. Therefore, the latest numbers were exactly on the historical track for this time of year, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of Metals Service Center Institute data (MSCI). Carbon steel shipments were 144,400 tons per day […]
Total rolled steel imports declined by 5.8 percent in the three months through September, compared with the three months through June. Sheet product imports were down by 3.9 percent on the same basis. The final license data for September was reported by of the U.S. Commerce Department on Oct. 3. The data is reported within […]
An explosion at the Gerdau long products steel mill in Wilton, Iowa, injured three employees and a contractor on Wednesday night. The incident occurred in the facility’s melt shop and resulted in temporary suspension of operations. Gerdau Ameristeel is working with authorities to investigate and determine the cause of the explosion. “Gerdau’s priority is attending […]
Steel Dynamics expects third-quarter financial results to be similar to the second quarter. Higher shipments during the quarter were somewhat offset by metal spread compression. Average quarterly pricing is expected to be consistent with the second quarter, but average scrap prices will be higher. SDI notes continued high import levels are impacting the ability of […]
Service center shipments in August failed to perform as well as the average since 2009, according to data from the Metals Service Center Institute. Daily shipments in August were 1.8 percent higher than in July. On average since 2009, August has increased by 3.0 percent, therefore the latest numbers were less than the historical average […]
Total rolled steel imports increased by 10.8 percent in the three months through August compared to the three months through May. Sheet product imports rose by 14.3 percent on the same basis, according to final license data for August reported by the U.S. Commerce Department on Aug. 6. The data is reported within the Steel […]
Half of the 36 Key Steel Market Indicators released in August are historically positive, while only 19 percent are negative, and the balance fall within the normal range, in Steel Market Update’s view. Along with May, when the data was about the same, this is the best outlook since we began our analysis in January […]