Steel Products Prices North America

September 17, 2020
CRU: Steel Buyers Fret About Longevity of Rally as Prices Skyrocket
Written by Estelle Tran
By CRU Prices Analyst Estelle Tran, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service
A combination of increased seasonal demand, low service center inventories, unplanned outages, spike in scrap prices and government restrictions on Brazilian slab imports have added fuel to the usual seasonal uptick and turned it into a surge. After reaching a bottom in mid-August, sheet prices have been taking strides weekly with HR coil prices up $125 /s.ton in five weeks and reaching $562 /s.ton on Sept. 16. With sheet mills sold out of October, they are eyeing further increases for November rollings. U.S. Steel on Sept. 14 hiked sheet prices $60 /s.ton, and market sources believe mills will achieve $600 /s.ton HR coil spot pricing—briefly.


