Tag: pricing

A roundup of trade news, what's up with Brazilian pig iron, SMU's latest survey results and more to keep you up to date.

The majority of steel buyers responding to our latest market survey say domestic mills are more willing to talk price on sheet and plate products than they were earlier this month. Sheet negotiation rates rebounded across the board compared to early June, while our plate negotiation rate hit a full 100%.

As of June 24, the premium galvanized coil carries over hot-rolled coil is just $5 per short ton (st) above the lowest level recorded in almost two years.

Prices for steel sheet slipped this week despite Section 232 tariffs remaining at 50% and a US strike on nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend.

Your highlights on the week in trade developments, price increases, scrap news, and more.

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

Steel prices inched higher again this week across most of the sheet and plate products tracked by SMU.

Cleveland-Cliffs plans to increase prices for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $950 per short ton (st) with the opening of its July spot order book. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said the price hike was effective immediately in a letter to customers dated Monday.

If you’re feeling a sudden jerk and a case of tariff whiplash coming on, you’re not alone.

Steel prices climbed for a second straight week across all five sheet and plate products tracked by SMU.

Service centers and distributors contend that weak demand is to blame for the flattening of domestic steel spot prices, as reflected in Nucor Steel’s weekly Consumer Spot Price (CSP) notice. On Monday, the Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered steel producer left prices unchanged from the previous week. Nucor has maintained prices of plate produced in Brandenburg since March 28.

The price premium of galvanized coil over hot-rolled (HR) coil has narrowed over the past two months, resuming the downward trend seen for most of the last year. As of May 27, the spread between these two products is at one of its lowest levels in nearly two years.

Most steel buyers responding to our latest market survey report that domestic mills are willing to talk price to secure new orders. Mill negotiability has continued to rise across all sheet and plate products we track, now at some of the highest levels recorded since late 2024.

Sheet and plate prices marginally declined again this week for the second consecutive week, pausing the strong downward trend seen from April through early May.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events.

Most sheet and plate prices edged lower again this week, albeit at a slower pace compared to the movements seen over the last seven weeks. Buyers remain cautious and hesitant to hold onto much inventory, citing lingering demand concerns, ongoing tariff uncertainty, and a potentially weakening scrap market in June.

“It was a little more of a seller's market as contractors seemed to be protecting themselves against a potential run up in prices," one buyer said.

Domestic mills are largely negotiable on spot prices, according to the majority of steel buyers responding to our latest market survey.

The recently announced US tariffs on vehicles and key components from all markets are expected to significantly disrupt global production.

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics earlier this week, including market prices and demand, tariffs and reshoring, inventories and imports, and evolving market trends.

Steel buyers said Nucor’s price decrease was a public acknowledgement of what most of the market had already known - that sheet prices were moving lower in a more significant way. The question now is whether mills and service centers will manage the decline or whether prices might fall rapidly, they said.

SMU’s Monthly Review provides a summary of our key steel market metrics for the previous month, with the latest data updated through April 30.

Nearly two thirds of the steel buyers who responded to this week’s SMU survey say domestic mills are negotiable on spot prices. This increasing flexibility marks a significant shift from the firmer stance mills held in recent months.

Most sheet and plate steel prices declined yet again this week, with four of SMU’s five indices moving lower.

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

SMU’s flat-rolled steel prices were flat or lower as tariff-related uncertainty continued to drag on the market.

Steel prices slipped again this week, with all five of SMU’s sheet and plate indices trending lower for the second week in a row.

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics this week, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events. We are sharing some of the comments we collected.

Four out of every five steel buyers who responded to our latest market survey say domestic mills are unwilling to negotiate on new order spot pricing. Mills have shown little flexibility on pricing for nearly two months.

This week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, including market prices, demand, tariff policies, inventories, imports, and emerging market events.