
SMU price ranges: Market picks up steam
SMU’s steel price indices rose across the board this week. Sheet prices increased as much as $35 per short ton (st) compared to last week, while our average plate price ticked up by$10/st.
SMU’s steel price indices rose across the board this week. Sheet prices increased as much as $35 per short ton (st) compared to last week, while our average plate price ticked up by$10/st.
SMU’s Monthly Review provides a summary of important steel market metrics for the previous month. Our latest report includes data updated through January 31st.
The projects collectively represent ~65% of Nucor’s capital expenditures budget for this year.
SMU’s sheet prices were mixed this week. Hot-rolled (HR) coil and plate notched gains while prices for coated products stagnated or dipped lower. Our HR price now stands at $700 per short ton (st) on average, up $15/st from last week and marking the highest level for HR prices since $705/st in early October. SMU’s […]
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) remains upbeat about progress at its Sinton, Texas, sheet mill and expects it to be profitable in the upcoming months. “The Sinton team gained considerable momentum in the last two months—running above 80% capacity—and they are doing even better in January, with expectations to reach profitability in the coming months,” SDI Chairman and CEO Mark Millett said in a Q4’24 earnings call on Thursday.
Steel mill lead times were mixed across the sheet and plate products SMU tracks, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.
Sheet and plate prices remained in a holding pattern this week as the market awaited more specifics on potential Trump administration tariffs.
Flat rolled = 77.1 shipping days of supply Plate = 58.1 shipping days of supply Flat rolled Flat-rolled steel supply at US service centers ballooned in December with higher inventories as well as seasonally lower shipments. At the end of December, service centers carried 77.1 shipping days of flat-rolled steel supply on an adjusted basis, […]
Steel prices ticked lower this week for four of the five products SMU tracks, according to our latest canvass of the sheet and plate markets. Following last week’s bump, our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, and plate indices all edged lower this week by $5-15 per short ton (st) on average. Galvalume was the only […]
The amount of steel exiting the country continued to decline through November, falling to an 11-month low, according to the latest US Department of Commerce data. This is the third month in a row that steel exports have eased and the second-lowest monthly rate recorded in almost two years.
Buyers participating in our first market survey of 2025 reported a slight decline in mill lead times compared to our last survey in mid-December. After rising moderately in early December, lead times edged lower through this week and are now only slightly above the lows seen back in July and November. Overall, production times have remained historically short since last summer, with minimal movement since then.
Steel buyers say mills remain open to negotiation on sheet and plate spot prices this week, slightly more so than in mid-December, according to our most recent survey results.
Hyundai Motor Group is reportedly considering building a sheet steel mill just south of Baton Rouge, La.
Steel mill production times have seen very little change since September, according to buyers participating in our latest market survey.
Steel buyers of sheet and plate products say mills are still willing to bend on spot pricing this week, though not quite as much as they were two weeks prior, according to our most recent survey data.
We have seen very little change in sheet and plate prices across the past month.
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 info@steelmarketupdate.com. Flat rolled = 61.4 shipping days of supply Plate = 50.5 shipping days of supply Flat rolled Flat-rolled steel supply at US service centers remains seasonally high. November inventories edged down […]
The volume of steel exported from the country declined in October for the second-consecutive month, following a one-year high in August.
Steel prices have remained relatively stable in recent weeks, though they have generally trended downward since October.
Production times are marginally higher than those seen in recent weeks, now closer to levels witnessed throughout October.
A high percentage of the steel buyers we polled this week continue to respond that mills are open to price negotiation for new spot orders. Rates have been high for the majority of the year.
Steel sheet prices remain at or near multi-month lows, while plate prices continue edging lower from their mid-2022 peak.
SMU’s Monthly Review provides a summary of important steel market metrics for the previous month. Our latest report includes data updated through November 30th.
Cleveland-Cliffs has officially had spot HRC prices at $750/st since mid-September.
SMU's price indices saw minor fluctuations on sheet products this week, while our plate and Galvalume indices held steady.
On Monday, Nucor published new extras effective Jan, 4, 2025.
Steel buyers participating in our market survey this week reported stable mill lead times for both sheet and plate steel products.
Most steel buyers SMU polled this week reported that mills remain willing to negotiate new order pricing.
SMU’s flat-rolled steel prices were mixed this week with slight declines across most products and a modest increase in prices for cold-rolled coil.
Flat rolled = 63.4 shipping days of supply Plate = 52.4 shipping days of supply Flat rolled shipments and inventories Flat-rolled steel supply at US service centers remains seasonally high. October inventories increased after edging lower in September – a dynamic driven largely by disappointing demand. October’s report reflects lower demand and stable lead times […]