Tag: Sheet

Plate market participants expect domestic producers to issue a $40-60 per short ton (st) price increase.

One third of the steel buyers responding to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are negotiable on new spot order pricing. Mills began to hold a firmer stance on prices towards the end of last year, tightening their grip in early January and holding it since.

Steel mill lead times marginally declined on sheet products this week but edged higher on plate, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey. Overall, lead times remain one to two weeks longer than levels seen three months ago.

Sheet market participants said conditions this week were more stable than in past weeks, but they remain cautiously optimistic overall.   

Flat-rolled steel prices inched upward again this week as mixed demand appeared to be offset by limited supplies.

Steel imports remain weak in November and December according to recently released final US Commerce Department data. Many of the sheet and plate products we follow slipped to multi-year lows.

Participants in the hot- and cold-rolled coil markets said winter storms in the East and Midwest may disrupt weekly order volumes and prices.  

Nucor Chair and CEO Leon Topalian is bullish on the outlook for 2026. And noted that the Charlotte, NC-based steelmaker remains in the hunt for M&A opportunities.

Sheet prices mostly continued their uneven but steady march higher this week, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.

A report on the sheet market this week.

Lower finished steel imports continued to support US domestic prices this month. HR coil prices are up more than $40 per metric ton (mt) month-on-month (m/m) due to higher seasonal demand in January and tightening domestic supply.

Steel mill lead times held steady on most products this week following the surge seen in early January, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey

The plate market’s swell of optimistic sentiment marking the start of 2026 dissipated this week.  

Just over a third of the steel buyers who responded to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are willing to talk price to secure new spot orders.

Though they’re hopeful, domestic sheet market sources didn’t share a bullish outlook on the market this week.

SMU's steel market chatter this week.

There was a fire at an electrical substation “near and owned by Steel Dynamics (Inc.’s) Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division,” according to a media report on Wednesday.

The majority of SMU’s sheet and plate price indices rose this week, with multiple products climbing to new multi-month highs

According to recently released final US Commerce Department data, US steel imports rebounded 11% month on month (m/m) in October 2025 after falling to a multi-year low one month earlier. The latest license figures suggest imports eased back by 3% in November and by another 2% in December, with trade again nearing historical lows.

Steel mill lead times increased for both sheet and plate products this week, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey.

Sources in the domestic hot-rolled sheet market say they are standing by for an uptick in customer demand. These service center market participants, located in various regions of the US, expect to handle an influx of customer orders this month. 

Steel sheet and plate prices rose across the board to start the year on limited spot availability at some mills, expectations of higher scrap prices, and hopes of stronger demand in 2026.

Posco has confirmed a 20% stake in a joint EAF mill in Louisiana with fellow South Korean firm Hyundai, an investment valued at $582 million.

Nucor has guided to lower earnings sequentially in the fourth quarter but higher on-year.

Sheet prices mostly ticked higher again this week. And the reasons shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone who has been reading SMU lately.

Following last week’s pause, SMU’s price indices were overall steady to higher this week, holding at or near multi-month highs.

According to recently finalized US Commerce Department data, US steel imports tumbled to a near five-year low in September

Steel mill lead times held relatively steady this week on both sheet and plate products, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey.

Participants in the domestic coil market hope producer price increases indicate strong market conditions entering the new year.

Less than half of the steel buyers who responded to our market survey this week reported that domestic mills are willing to talk price on new spot orders