A group of European steel companies and nongovernmental agencies, members of the Austrian non-profit organization ResponsibleSteel, have come together to create international standards for greenhouse gas emissions as the industry works to decarbonize across the supply chain. The ResponsibleSteel International Standard V2.0 will allow steel companies to clearly show how they are driving down GHG […]
Since this is my first time officially tackling Final Thoughts, I figured what better time than now to take a few moments and formally introduce myself. Even though you’ve been reading Premium and Executive content that I’ve authored here for SMU for a little over two years, my experience in the metals and mining industry—primarily […]
United States Steel Corporation has idled the No. 8 blast furnace at its Gary Works in Indiana due to market conditions and high import levels. A spokeswoman confirmed the idling began on Sept. 7. “We continue to monitor market conditions and plan to bring the furnace back online when business conditions allow,” she told SMU. […]
US Steel Corp. expects its performance to be substantially lower sequentially for its third quarter ending Sept. 30. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker anticipates adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of approximately $825 million in Q3, according to earnings guidance figures released on Thursday, Sept. 15. That’s down nearly 50% from second quarter EBITDA […]
The long, hot summer of labor unrest that I’d feared early this year didn’t materialize. But that doesn’t mean we’re out the woods yet. The United Steelworkers union and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. have agreed to a new labor pact. In Canada, meanwhile, the USW has ratified agreements with both Algoma and Stelco. But the union and […]
Ratification votes on the new labor deal between Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers (USW) are to begin Oct. 12, a union representative told Steel Market Update. The two sides agreed to a new, tentative four-year contract nearly three weeks ago. The new deal is effective Sept. 1 but does not go into effect unless a […]
Sheet and plate prices continued to drift sideways this week as steel mills attempt to hold the line despite weak signals from the scrap market. Mills are more unified in trying to hold the line around $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) on hot-rolled coil following deep discounting ahead of announced price increases last month. […]
US apparent steel supply recovered 2% in July to 9.23 million net tons, according to the latest US Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute data. July supply levels are 2% below the average monthly rate across the past year of 9.41 million tons. Recall that supply reached a six-year high last September at 9.92 million […]
US steel exports declined 7% from June to July, now at a five-month low of 742,000 net tons according to the latest US Commerce Department data. Just one month prior, we saw the third-highest monthly export rate seen in the past four years at 800,000 tons. On a 12-month moving average basis (12MMA), annual steel […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) on a new, 47-month labor contract for its mining and pelletizing operations, the company said on Friday, Sept. 9. The new deal is effective Oct. 1 but does not go into effect unless a majority of the 2,000 union members represented under the […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers (USW) union continue to work toward a new labor contract for employees at the company’s iron ore mines. A prior contract between the Cleveland-based steelmaker and workers at its mining and pelletizing operations is set to expire on Oct. 1. That contract is separate from one with its USW-represented […]
The global steel decarbonization challenge is immense but uneven, argued Philip Bell, Steel Manufacturers Association’s (SMA) president, during a 2022 SMU Steel Summit Conference panel addressing the challenges and opportunities a new carbon frontier poses on the domestic steel industry. “One of the most important things to emphasize from a US steelmaker perspective is that […]
US Steel has begun a 60-day planned outage on the No. 2 blast furnace at its steel mill in Košice, Slovakia. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker operates three blast furnaces at the mill: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. The outage on No. 2. began on Sunday, Sept. 4. The No. 1 and No. 3 furnaces remain […]
US Steel has temporarily idled the No. 5 tin line at its Gary Works in northwest Indiana. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker indicated that the move was necessary because of weaker demand and increased import volumes. “The company’s other tin operations continue to operate in line with customer demand. We expect to bring number 5 tin line back […]
US Steel’s month-long outage on No. 3 blast furnace at Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh is underway, a company spokeswoman confirmed to SMU. The blast furnace was taken offline early Wednesday morning following a successful blowdown. Water quenching is scheduled for the weekend, and shotcrete will begin after Labor Day. “It did go offline safely,” […]
Hot rolled and galvanized prices continue to decline but many continue to go unchanged, members said during this month’s call with HARDI’s Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. Much like July, members are currently seeing strong demand and foresee stability in the near future. It’s been an eventful month to say the least. Nucor and Cleveland-Cliffs both […]
Contract talks between United Steelworkers (USW) and United States Steel Corp. (USS) will continue past the expiration of the current agreement on Sept. 1 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Both sides have agreed to extend the existing labor contract to continue negotiating a new deal, according to an Aug. 31 text sent to USW members. “Our […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) said United States Steel Corp. (USS) and the union remain “miles apart” on their collective bargaining labor negotiations, according to an Aug. 31 update. The latest proposal, according to the USW, only included minor adjustments to the steelmaker’s previous offer. “We met with USS last night, but unfortunately, the USS proposal […]
I was communicating with the head of commercial for one of the domestic steel mills about the recent spate of price announcements and what they have managed to accomplish to date. I was told, “Just another effort to get the momentum back to the other side. Partially successful if you ask me. Stops the erosion. […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) said United States Steel Corp. (USS) latest collective bargaining labor proposal “fails to meet standard” and that its members at USS will not be treated as “second class” citizens. The proposal, according to the USW bargaining committee, stands in “stark contrast” to the tentative agreement recently reached between the USW and […]
US Steel will take a week-long outage on its compact-strip production (CSP®) line at its Big River Steel Works in Osceola, Ark., in October. The planned maintenance outage is expected to take place from Oct. 23–30, a US Steel spokeswoman confirmed to SMU. Big River Steel’s six-stand CSP continuous caster has an annual capacity of […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) said the latest collective bargaining labor proposal from United States Steel Corp. “falls very short” of what the union wants. The proposal is “unacceptable” and has been rejected by the USW bargaining committee, according to an Aug. 24 text sent to USW members. A US Steel spokeswoman told SMU that its […]
Keynote speaker Paul Lowrey presented at the SMU Steel Summit Conference today, explaining his market thoughts through data on US steel market capacity, steel mill consolidation, and the scrap market. As president of Steel Research Associates (SRA) with a career spanning 30 years, Lowrey opened his segment explaining, “I’ve been labeled by some as a […]
The House of Representatives on Friday approved the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on a party-line vote. This legislation, with only Democratic support, passed the Senate 51-50 last weekend. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden, who will sign it into law. This is by any measure a major piece of legislation. On the surface, […]
United Steelworkers (USW) union Local 8782 has ratified a new, five-year labor agreement with Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Stelco. The move effectively concludes a summer of protracted contract negotiations between Hamilton, Ontario-based Stelco and the USW. Local 8782 reported that 67% of its members voted in favor of the contract in update to members on Friday, […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) union resumed face-to-face labor talks with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and United States Steel Corp. this week in Pittsburgh after a brief hiatus for the USW’s 2022 Constitutional Convention Aug. 8–11 in Las Vegas. Current labor agreements with the two flat-rolled steelmakers are due to expire on Sept. 1. Cleveland-Cliffs Update In an […]
Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Stelco has reached a tentative agreement with one local union, and another has ratified a new, five-year labor contract with the company. The negotiating committee for United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8782 broke the news that it had agreed to tentative pact in an update to members on Wednesday, Aug. 17. USW Local […]
US Steel is going green. The Pittsburgh-based company has formed a non-exclusive alliance with Equinor US Holdings Inc. and Shell US Gas and Power LLC to establish a clean energy hub in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia tri-state area. Infrastructure projects associated with this development will generate new jobs, encourage economic growth, and contribute […]
Stelco and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1005 have at least temporarily avoided a labor disruption at the Canadian steelmaker’s mill in Hamilton, Ontario. The two parties are working toward an agreement on a new labor contract, details of which will be presented to union members on Monday, Aug. 15. “The strike deadline has been suspended. […]