Steel shipments in the US fell 2.4% in May compared with a year earlier, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) said Thursday. Domestic steel mills shipped 7,721,633 net tons in May vs. 7,910,730 net tons in May 2022, but shipments increased 3% from the 7,499,979 net tons shipped in April, according to AISI. Year-to-date […]
Lead times were broadly stable this week, with sheet products rising modestly and plate unchanged from SMU’s market check two weeks ago. More meaningful movements in lead times should be seen in the coming weeks as buyers return to the market after the Fourth of July holiday. Should the mills’ recent sheet price hikes take […]
Sheet prices were little changed this week amid typically slower activity around the Fourth of July. Market participants said that another round of sheet price hikes might come later this week or early next to shore up an initial round of price increases announced in mid-June. In the meantime, some of the heavy discounting that […]
Join us for SMU’s next Community Chat webinar with Wolfe Research managing director Timna Tanners. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 12, at 11 am ET. It’s free for all to attend. A recording will be available to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about what Tanners describes as “the myth […]
The US rig count fell yet again for the week ended June 30. This marks the ninth consecutive week rig counts have declined in the US. Canada also saw a decline after an increase the week prior, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count stood at 674 active […]
As sheet prices continued to decline throughout June, the spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized coil base prices also shrank further. Recall that at the end of May, the galvanized premium over hot-rolled coil (HRC) averaged $175 per ton. As of this week, that premium had fallen to $150 per ton. Let’s look at […]
Our HRC price is flat this week, and there is a roughly 50/50 split between those who think the $50-per-ton sheet price hikes announced earlier this month will stick and those who think they won’t. I’m not going to weigh in on which side could be right. But it doesn’t appear to have fazed domestic mills, […]
A round of price increases announced by domestic mills in mid-June appears to have stabilized pricing for hot-rolled coil for the time being. Meanwhile, rumors of another round of price hikes ping-ponged around the market on Tuesday, with sources predicting another wave of hikes sometime between this week and mid-July. SMU’s average HRC prices stands […]
Companies should keep a watchful eye on pricing and lead times, according to members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) speaking on the June 27 meeting of its Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. During May’s meeting, most HARDI participants thought that prices would continue to drop. Over half of the individuals thought it […]
In May’s preliminary count, total US steel imports came in below import licenses tallied for the month. At the same time, however, flat-rolled steel imports came in higher than licenses originally suggested, according to the latest data from the International Trade Administration’s (ITA’s) steel import monitor. SMU’s previous analysis of May import data showed 2,395,039 […]
Our latest survey results indicate that the round of $50/ton ($2.50/cwt) sheet price hikes have a good chance of at least stabilizing prices or increasing them modestly. To be clear, SMU does not make formal forecasts. I’m basing this on what we’re seeing in past survey results following price hikes compared to what we’re seeing […]
Editor’s note: Steel Market Update is pleased to share this Premium content with Executive members. For information on how to upgrade to a Premium-level subscription, contact Lindsey Fox at lindsey@steelmarketupdate.com. Steel Market Update’s Demand Index reached a seven-month low this past week, according to the latest survey data. Apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the […]
European sheet prices have declined sharply by €112-146 per metric ton ($110-144 per net ton) month-on-month (MoM), around 12-18% across all sheet products. In CRU’s latest assessment, German hot-rolled coil decreased by €125 MoM to €689 per metric ton ($680 per net ton), while Italian HR coil saw a drop of €146 to €657 per […]
US rig counts dropped for the week ended June 23, while Canada’s count increased, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. This marks the eighth consecutive week-over-week decline in the US and fifth consecutive weekly increase in Canada. The total US rig count stood at 682 active rigs as of June 23, off five from the […]
CRU research manager Stephen Williamson shares an update on the aluminum market and pricing with SMU readers. This article was written The LME rallied in the days following the debt ceiling resolution by Congress and the price of aluminum pressed towards $2,300 per metric ton. This week, however, the price fell back through a key […]
The US will import approximately ~50,000 metric tons of steel slab from China in June, according to license data from the US Commerce Department. The figure is notable because the US has imported no significant quantities of Chinese slab in at least the last six years, per Commerce figures. The average price was $694 per metric […]
In SMU’s market check this week, lead times for sheet and plate pulled back to some of the shortest times seen in several months. To see lead times this short, we have to go back to March for plate, January for galvanized sheet, and December for hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and Galvalume sheet. With mills pushing for […]
Algoma Steel said its transition to electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking would be delayed and over budget as it reported a loss in its fiscal fourth quarter. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based steelmaker said in a statement on Wednesday after markets closed that it estimated the project would exceed its original budget by Canadian $125 million to […]
How can SMU’s sheet prices go down shortly after a round of $50-per-ton mill price hikes? Long story short: It’s because we’re capturing both pre- and post-increase pricing in our survey as well as in calls and emails with some of you. And, as those of you who’ve been in the industry for a while […]
ArcelorMittal has followed U.S. Steel and Nucor in an attempt to increase sheet prices by $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt). The Luxembourg-based steelmaker also specified new minimum base prices: $950 per ton for hot-rolled coil (HRC) and $1,150 per ton for cold-rolled and coated products. ArcelorMittal made the price hike announcement with the opening […]
Flat Rolled = 51.4 Shipping Days of Supply Plate = 55.4 Shipping Days of Supply Flat Rolled US service center flat-rolled steel inventories were nearly flat month on month in May with shipments still strong. Service centers carried 51.4 shipping days of supply at the end of May, according to adjusted SMU data. This was […]
What to make of the latest round of sheet prices hikes: Are they aimed at stopping the bleeding, getting buyers off the sidelines, or actually getting sheet prices back up again? These are serious questions now in a way that they weren’t after U. S. Steel first announced its price hike last Wednesday. That hike […]
We are counting down the days until SMU’s Steel Summit Conference on Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 21-23, in Atlanta. It’s only a little over two months away. Approximately 755 people have already registered. Our discounted room blocks are almost gone. Register here. The event will again be held at the Georgia International Convention Center, a massive conference center in close […]
Rig counts are down for the seventh consecutive week in the US but up in Canada for the week ended June 16, according to the latest data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The total US rig count stands at 687 active rigs as of June 16, down eight from the previous week. The number of active oil rigs […]
The US Federal Reserve has taken some pressure out of the market by announcing a pause in interest rate hikes, leaving rates at 5% to 5.25% after more than a year of consecutive rate increases. The decision on Wednesday came a day after official figures showed US inflation was 4% – the lowest pace of […]
Nucor aims to increase base prices for new orders of steel sheet by at least $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt), effective immediately. The Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker also said that its new base price for hot-rolled coil (HRC) was $900 per ton. “We reserve the right to review and re-quote any offers that are not […]
Nucor Corp. said its second-quarter earnings should beat those of the prior quarter on strength in all its business segments. The steelmaker expects its Q2 earnings to be in the range of $5.45 to $5.55 per diluted share. Although down from the $9.67 per share posted in Q2 last year, it’s an improvement upon Q1 […]
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on a variety of subjects, including steel prices, demand levels, and import offers. Rather than summarizing the comments we received, we are sharing some of them in each buyer’s own words. We want to hear your thoughts, too! Contact david@steelmarketupdate.com to be included in our […]
U.S. Steel aims to increase base prices on spot orders of flat-rolled steel by at least $50 per ton ($2.50 per cwt.) The move is effective immediately and applies to “all open quotations and/or negotiations where an agreement is yet to be concluded,” the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker said in a letter to it sales executives on […]
Sheet prices fell at a more modest pace this week after a sharp decline last week, as business seemed somewhat curbed. After Memorial Day prices fell, leading to the sharpest price drop since June 21, 2022. Now, the slide seems to have temporarily cooled, though sources indicated it was almost exclusively due to a lack of activity. SMU’s hot-rolled […]