Tag: Sheet

Service centers and manufacturers on the Sept. 15 HARDI Sheet Metal and Air Handling Council call described a tight, seller-driven market. Lead times are long, deliveries are late, inventories are thin, imports are down, and demand is strong, causing a shortage of galvanized material. SMU regularly joins the council’s meetings to discuss the galvanized sheet market. Participants — members of Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) — are wholesalers, service centers, distributors, and manufacturers who buy or sell galvanized steel.

US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply declined in August, making the marginal gain the month prior an outlier year-to-date. Shipping days of supply slipped to 44.2 in August, according to SMU data.

Sheet and plate prices remained on an upward trek over the last week as concerns about supply shortages continued to ripple across the market, industry sources said.

The Commerce Department has issued its preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) determination in the trade case investigating tin mill products from China.

The US sheet market is really feeling the squeeze. It’s not just spot tons that are a concern. Contract tons are increasingly scarce too.

US steel imports increased 7.8% in July and, based on US Department of Commerce license data, rose even higher in August.

Following the 17-month high set in June, US steel exports receded 8% in July, according to recently released US Department of Commerce figures. Trade has been historically low for over a year and remains weak compared to 2022-2024 volumes.

The spread between domestic hot-rolled (HR) coil and prime scrap prices continued to widen in September. It is now up for a 12th straight month, and at the widest gap since January 2022.

CME Group’s HR coil futures have had a volatile stretch over the past few weeks.

Sheet and plate prices continue to push higher on increasingly tight supplies and solid demand, market participants said. The domestic market remains characterized by both limited spot availability and limited contract availability. Buyers continue to report having difficulty finding spot material and being held below their contract maximums and sometimes to their contract minimums.

Nucor said on Tuesday, Sept. 8, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil will be $1,190 per short ton (st) this week, a $5/st increase from a week earlier.

If you’re looking for a deal on steel, this last week wasn’t the one to find one. (Nor was the week before that. Or the week before that.) Meanwhile, contract negotiations are heating up in one of the tightest markets since at least 2021. I've heard discounts will be lower, min-max ranges will be tighter, and there will be less freight equalization and waiving extras.

Most steel buyers responding to our latest market survey reported that mills continue to hold a firm grip on prices. Negotiation rates remain low on all sheet and plate products. In late August, the share of buyers reporting that mills were negotiable fell to the lowest rate seen in almost five years, and that rate was unchanged through this week.

Steel mill lead times held steady for sheet products this week and extended further on plate, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey. Production times have been historically long for most of the summer, currently at or near multi-year highs on each of the products we measure. Over two-thirds of the buyers responding to this week’s survey (68%) believe lead times will be flat two months from now, similar to recent surveys. Of the remainder, 19% predict lead times will extend further, and 13% expect contractions.

Flat-rolled steel prices inched higher again this week, continuing a trend that has characterized the market for most of this year. SMU’s hot-rolled (HR) coil price now stands at...

Nucor raised its CSP for HR coil to $1,185 per short ton for spot orders placed this week, a $5/st increase w/w.

Automotive aluminum demand is rising as extrusions, sheet, and castings gain ground across vehicle applications and powertrains.

Leading steel analysts gave their forecasts for 2027 pricing and market dynamics at Steel Summit 2026.

Nucor Corp. has begun commissioning the melt shop at its new, $4 billion sheet mill in West Virginia, according to Noah Hanners, the company’s EVP of sheet. The pickle line is producing, the electric-arc furnace has been fired up, and steel production is expected soon.

Sheet prices mostly ticked upward again this week on a series of factors long familiar to the market: long lead times, limited spot availability, and solid demand.

Nucor said on Monday, Aug. 24, that its CSP for hot-rolled coil will be $1,180 per short ton (st) for the week, a $10/st increase from a week earlier.

SMU’s Steel Demand Index saw a negligible decline in growth, slightly behind early August, but remaining in elevated territory, according to mid-to-late August indicators.

CRU: Global finished steel prices have diverged in August, with longs softening while sheet and plate firmed in most regions. Weak construction demand persisted across most longs markets, with the US the notable exception. Higher sheet prices were driven by tightening supply in the US and reduced import attractiveness in Europe, even as APAC sheet prices declined. Plate prices were mostly firmer across APAC, stable to down in Europe, and continued climbing in the US.

Just when things start to feel a little same old, same old in the futures market, that sneaky volatility shows up.

Steel mill lead times remained extended on both sheet and plate products this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey. Production times have been historically long for most of the summer, remaining at or near multi-year highs across all of the products we track.

Most steel buyers who responded to our market survey this week reported that mills are holding a firm grip on sheet and plate prices. The share of buyers reporting that mills were negotiable fell to the lowest rate seen in almost five years. Negotiation rates for three sheet products are down to multi-year lows.

Sheet prices and plate prices continued their relentless march higher over the last week as more participants said they were effectively on allocation, especially when it comes to hot-rolled (HR) coil.

Nucor said on Monday, Aug. 17, that its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil will be $1,170 per short ton (st) for the week, a $10/st increase from a week earlier.

Premium Report: US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply rose marginally in July, reversing course for the first time all year. Shipping days of supply ticked up to 45.6, according to SMU data. Service center shipments in were more than 4% below intake, noticeably trailing inbound volumes.

CRU analysis of trade policy's impact on markets in China, US, Europe, India, and Southeast Asia.