Domestic HRC’s Competitive Advantage Over Imports Slips Again

Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) continues its competitive price advantage run over imported steel – now 15 weeks running – though it did lose some momentum week on week (WoW), according to Steel Market Update’s latest foreign vs. domestic price analysis.

US HRC is approximately 3.2% cheaper than foreign prices this week, down from 7.4% last week after consideration of freight costs, trader margins, and any applicable tariffs. US prices have been cheaper than foreign prices for all three regions we follow since the beginning of November. While margins have varied, HRC prices only increased in Italy WoW, while falling in Germany and the Far East over the same period.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.