Although the most commonly reported ex-Midwest mill spot price transaction range for US domestic hot rolled coil (HRC) has remained steady since our last report a week ago, prices in the Southern portion of the country are not as stable. “If you’re a big buyer in the South, do I think you can crack the $32.00 cwt. threshold? Absolutely,” said one service center source. Which makes sense if you take into consideration that US domestic scrap prices have fallen off by about $20/lt for October buys and flats prices are typically less firm in the fourth quarter.
Still, some sources optimistic that the general $32.00-$33.00 cwt. ($705-$727/mt or $640-$660/nt), ex-Midwest mill spot price transaction range will hold through the end of the year, while others are starting to say the situation is “still too close to call.”
| Cwt. | Metric Ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week | |
| US domestic | ||||
| Ex-Midwest mill | ||||
| HRC | $32.00-$33.00 | $705-$727 | $640-$660 | neutral |
| Turkey* | ||||
| HRC | $31.00-$32.00 | $683-$705 | $620-$640 | neutral |
| Brazil* | ||||
| HRC | $31.50-$32.50 | $694-$717 | $630-$650 | neutral |
| *DDP loaded truck US Gulf Coast ports | ||||