Each month, Steel Market Update produces an import analysis by region for two of the six flat rolled product groups (HRC, CRC, HDG, OMC, cut to length (CTL) plate and coiled plate). This month we are focusing on plate products. The intent of these regional updates is to bridge the gap between our monthly license […]
This report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products and 16 subcategories through December. Table 1 shows total supply to the market in three months through December and in 12 months through December for the four product groups and the 16 subcategories. Supply to the market is the total of domestic […]
I am traveling this week. I have been in Monterrey, Mexico, where I visited the Roberto Rocca Industrial School in Pesqueria in the state of Nuevo Leon (just outside of Monterrey). I also visited the Ternium Industrial Center, which is already a major rolling facility and where Ternium is expanding capacities dramatically so the mill […]
Flat rolled and plate steel prices saw relatively little movement over the past week. Steel Market Update leaves its hot rolled and galvanized prices unchanged, with small declines reported in cold rolled, Galvalume and plate. Here is how we see prices this week: Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $690-$720 per ton ($34.50/cwt-$36.00/cwt) with […]
Are steel prices witnessing a dead cat bounce or the beginning of a bullish reversal? The market appears split on the feline vs. bovine analogy. In other words, there is a huge divergence of thought on what is going to happen to steel prices over the next three or four months. The benchmark price of […]
“Your tank broke down? No problem, we’ll just 3-D print a steel replacement part.” Someday this scenario may be a reality for U.S. Army technicians in the field. Researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory are working on a process that will take powdered steel and transform it with lasers […]
I will be traveling all week as I head to Monterrey, Mexico, to tour the Ternium training facilities and steel mill. I will also be meeting with Cesar Jimenez, the CEO for Ternium Mexico, to discuss the new capacity they have coming onstream over the next 12-24 months. We are also working with Ternium to […]
Steel Market Update is sharing the following Premium-level content on flat rolled imports with Executive-level members. For more information about upgrading to a Premium-level subscription, contact info@steelmarketupdate.com. Finally, the detailed steel trade data has been released for December. Again, we apologize for our lack of trade reports in the last few months. August was the […]
This is a report that we provided monthly through August 2018 data. The USITC then revamped their DataWeb and the new version didn’t work. Our SMU staff worked with the USITC to fix the problem, then the government shut down. The March 2019 data is the first available that has been released on time since […]
Total foreign steel imports are on the decline as license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce has February imports at 2.5 million net tons. Based on license data through March 12, it appears March imports will also be in that same vicinity. To put this into perspective, imports for February 2018 were 2,478,000 net […]
Total foreign steel imports are on the decline as license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce has February imports at 2.5 million net tons. Based on license data through March 12, it appears March imports will also be in that same vicinity. To put this into perspective, imports for February 2018 were 2,478,000 net […]
Steel imports are trending up in March as license data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows total imports tracking towards 2.9 million net tons–above the 3-month and 12-month moving averages. Based on license data through March 19, both finished and semifinished steels (mostly slabs purchased by domestic mills) are up significantly over February levels. […]
Flat rolled prices moved a bit over the past week, while plate prices remained unchanged. Benchmark hot rolled was up $10 per ton as both the low and high end moved by $0.50/cwt. Hot rolled continues to be the weakest of the flat rolled products. The strongest are coated steels with a number of data […]
U.S. steel exports in December totaled 519,099 net tons (470,919 metric tons), down 15.7 percent from November, and down 31.0 percent from levels one year ago. The last time total steel exports were this low was over 16 years ago, back in July 2002, when 504,621 tons of steel were exported outside of the United […]
Premium subscribers to Steel Market Update have reports available on our website that break out the import tonnage into district of entry and source nation for six sheet and plate categories. SMU has now developed reports that drill down the HRC and CRC into product detail both nationally and for each district. Using U.S. International […]
Your college degree is not going to help you understand how the steel markets work. To do that you need to attend one of our Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshops. Our next workshop is being held in Davenport, Iowa on May 14-15, 2019. We choose our locations because our workshops […]
Flat rolled steel service centers are beginning to support the concept of higher steel prices. Distributors are raising spot pricing to their end-user customers, and in the process, they are supporting the domestic steel mill flat rolled price increase announcements. Steel Market Update canvasses the flat rolled and plate steel markets twice a month through […]
Steel Market Update asked: One year after President Trump announced the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, have the tariffs been good for your business? For a small majority, 54 percent, of those responding to SMU’s market trends questionnaire, the answer is no. For 46 percent, yes. Opinions are split nearly down the middle. […]
Today, we are rolling out more of our agenda for the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. The theme behind this year’s conference is “Steel in Transition.” It will provide an important forum for discussion of the key issues affecting all companies that supply or consume flat rolled and plate steels, including the steel mills, trading […]
Today, we are rolling out more of our agenda for the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. The theme behind this year’s conference is “Steel in Transition.” It will provide an important forum for discussion of the key issues affecting all companies that supply or consume flat rolled and plate steels, including the steel mills, trading […]
We live in a time when nothing is as it seems and uncertainty rules the roost. This can make for a daunting task when considering when, what and how much steel you need to purchase at any point in time. It appears the second price increase announcement out of Nucor moved some of the end […]
We live in a time when nothing is as it seems and uncertainty rules the roost. This can make for a daunting task when considering when, what and how much steel you need to purchase at any point in time. It appears the second price increase announcement out of Nucor moved some of the end […]
Not surprisingly, steel buyers report a tightening in negotiations with the mills following the two $40 per ton price increases announced in January and February. However, the majority of those responding to Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire this week say the mills are still willing to talk price–on all products but plate and Galvalume–if […]
Mill lead times for spot orders of flat rolled steel continue to slowly move out as the market sees upward momentum following the mill price increase announcements in January and February. Hot rolled lead times now average more than four weeks, cold rolled and plate more than six weeks, and galvanized nearing seven weeks. Lead […]
SSAB Americas notified customers today, March 7, that it intends to raise its transaction prices by a minimum of $40 per ton effective immediately for all new non-contract orders acknowledged for shipment the week of April 28 and beyond. The increase applies to As-Rolled Mill Plate, Cut-To-Length Plate >72”, Hot Rolled Coils >72”, as well […]
SSAB Americas notified customers today, March 7, that it intends to raise its transaction prices by a minimum of $40 per ton effective immediately for all new non-contract orders acknowledged for shipment the week of April 28 and beyond. The increase applies to As-Rolled Mill Plate, Cut-To-Length Plate >72”, Hot Rolled Coils >72”, as well […]
Ferrous scrap prices for March settled up $20/GT, report Steel Market Update sources. “The ferrous market was up $20 across the board without much deviation across the country. That puts Midwest shred at around $355-360 and busheling at $370-380. Export has rebounded this week by about $5-10 from recent sales. The most recent sale to Turkey […]
Foreign steel imports dropped to an eight-year low in December, coming in under 2 million net tons, according to final data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Removing the 200,000 tons of semi-finished steels (mostly slabs used by domestic steel mills), finished steel imports were just under 1.7 million net tons. As shown […]
Some notes that I made to myself during the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association meeting in Nashville this week. There is no panic amongst the attendees. Uncertainty reigns supreme, and uncertainty is difficult to live with. No one with whom I spoke was predicting prices to go crazy. Most felt there would be a modest uptick, […]
Steel Market Update did not see a huge move in flat rolled steel prices this week. Our benchmark hot rolled average rose a modest $5 per ton, but is still below $700 per ton and a long way away from the $730 per ton suggested by ArcelorMittal USA in their announcement email. The other flat […]