Price levels within the US domestic plate market have leveled in the past two weeks, after Nucor and SSAB’s attempted $1.50 cwt. ($33/mt or $30/nt) price increase not only failed, but was followed by a $1.50 cwt. dip in the most commonly reported spot market transaction range. “Things have seemed to level off,” according to one Midwest-based service center source, noting that the previously reported range of $42.50-$43.50 ($937-$959/mt or $850-$870/nt) ex-Midwest mill continues to hold.
In terms of imports, offshore offers are also unchanged in the past two weeks, as Turkish and Brazilian producers continue to offer in the approximate range of $38.00-$39.00 cwt. ($838-$869/mt or $760-$780/nt) DDP loaded truck US Gulf coast ports (although Turkish mills are still open to negotiation based on the size and scope of the order). Offers from Mexican producers, while still trending in the approximate range of $37.00-$38.00 cwt. ($815-$838/mt or $740-$760/nt) DDP loaded truck delivered to US border states, are also said to be “quite flexible” based on tonnages. What is of interest, however, is the latest import tonnage data. Steel Monitoring Import and Analysis (SIMA) data show that for the month of September, US carbon steel plate import tonnages from Turkey came in at 21,134 mt (license data), which is more than twice the calculated August tonnages. Imports from Japanese mills also doubled month-on-month, from 5,542 mt (census data) in August to 11,278 mt (license data) in September.