The American steel manufacturing company Nucor has announced its first price reduction for hot-rolled coil (HRC) on the spot market since the beginning of 2025. This week’s offer prices have decreased by $5 per ton, bringing the price to $930 per short ton for most producers, except for California Steel Industries (CSI), where the price is $990 per ton. This reduction follows a two-week period of price stability from the company.
This is reported by Business • Media
Since prices peaked at the beginning of the year on March 24 at $935 per ton (for CSI, $995), prices remained stable until April 13. The overall price increase for HRC from Nucor since the beginning of the year is approximately $180 per short ton. The operational lead time for orders is estimated at 3-5 weeks.
Market Trends and Influencing Factors
According to SMU, spot prices for hot-rolled coil as of April 8 ranged from $840 to $970 per ton. Estimates from Kallanish indicate that domestic prices in the U.S. for HRC were in the range of $950 to $1000 per ton.
Market activity remains high due to import restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump. These include reciprocal tariffs and preliminary announcements of tariffs aimed at protecting the steel industry, the automotive sector, as well as regions in Canada, Mexico, and China. Tariff pressure is expected to continue supporting price increases in the coming weeks.
According to reports, Cleveland-Cliffs, which also operates in this sector, recently announced the opening of May orders for hot-rolled products at a price of $975 per ton. At the end of February, it opened April orders at a price of $900. Thus, the price for offers has increased by $75 per ton month-over-month.
Companies note that rising prices are stimulating activity in key sectors, particularly those that are steel-intensive. The initiative to return production to the U.S. (“onshoring”) is also having a significant impact, gaining momentum due to changes in the global supply chain and the desire to reduce dependence on imported products.