The US domestic scrap market seemed to get off to a fast start on Tuesday, but things have begun to get drawn out again as mills are still considering August pricing. Several of the larger multi-mill buyers have not officially settled.
Ferrous scrap prices for June came in sideways, scrap sources told SMU.
The US domestic ferrous scrap market started to form on Thursday.
Winter is over now and the scrap landscape is looking a bit less challenging.
Prices for iron ore, aluminum, pig iron, and shredded scrap have all risen in the last 30 days. Busheling scrap held steady, while zinc and coking coal declined.
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The main discussions surrounding pig iron is the ruling by the US Supreme Courts that “reciprocal tariffs” are illegal.
The export scrap market from both North America and Europe has quieted down over the last week.
There has been some recent activity of exports of basic pig iron from Brazil. Sources there agree on the activity but diverge on the pricing. What is new to the market in Brazil is the buying interest from the European Union, in particularly, Italy.
All but one of the steelmaking raw materials we track increased in price over the last month
The pig iron market has entered an upward phase now that ferrous scrap in both Europe and North America has also been increasing in price.
The export market in the Atlantic Basin has seen significant strengthening during Q4 as 2025 comes to a close. The strength has been mainly driven by Turkish buyers, but Italy has also been a contributor.
Most steelmaking raw material prices remained stable over the past month. Prices are mixed in comparison to this time last year.
US steel mills have received a boost from lower import levels because of sweeping tariffs this year. However, demand remained moderate in most sectors, aside from data center construction, after the summer.
Most steelmaking raw material prices held steady or ticked higher over the past month
Most steelmaking raw material prices we track saw little change across the month of August. Iron ore, pig iron, shredded scrap, busheling scrap, zinc, and aluminum prices all held relatively steady,
What the word "sideways" means can depend on where you sit on the procurement spectrum.
Prices for four of the seven steelmaking raw materials we track were unchanged from late June through the end of July, while two increased and one declined. Collectively, these material prices rose 1% month over month (m/m), but are down 3% compared to three months ago.
The announcement of 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, including pig iron, could have a dramatic effect on steelmaking raw materials.
The resistance Brazilian pig iron sellers had shown to accepting lower prices has proved short-lived, sources told SMU.
According to our latest analysis, prices for four of the seven steelmaking raw materials we track declined from May to June. Collectively, these materials declined 3% month over month (m/m) and are down 9% compared to three months ago.
Brazilian pig iron prices fail to rise after ferrous scrap market settle.
CRU analysts discuss how downward pressure on the US premium has persisted due to weakness in key consuming sectors, while concerns over zinc supply have been largely alleviated for the time being.
The pig iron markets have been quiet for the last several weeks, as tariff implementation on imports into the US became a reality. There has been debate on which party will have to pay the tariff. A recent transaction could provide the answer to that question.
There are several other tariffs implications concerning the ferrous raw materials sector. In addition to tariffs on DRI/HBI imports, there will be also be a tariff on raw materials imported to domestically based metallics producers.
“The next months are going to be good ones for pig iron producers," according to one source.
There has been considerable upward movement in the US prices paid for future shipment of Brazilian-produced pig iron over the last week.
Prices for the seven steelmaking raw materials SMU tracks moved in differing directions from December to January, according to our latest analysis.
Pig iron prices declined in all regions as the EU’s 2025 import quota on Russian pig iron has begun, loosening global supply.
Prices were stable to down in November for all seven steelmaking raw materials tracked by SMU, according to our latest analysis.