US merchant bar quality steel prices flat; import prices slip

摘要

Merchant bar quality (MBQ) steel prices in the United States remained flat month over month, although some sources reported seeing improved market activity in certain regions of the country. Fastmarkets monthly assessment for steel bar 2 x 2 x ?-inch angle merchant products, fob mill US, remained at a 16-month low of $33.80 per hundredweight ($676 per short ton) on Friday July 26 after falling in late June. The current assessment is down 11.2% from $38.05 per cwt ($761 per cwt) one year ago. At the same time, Fastmarkets’ assessment for steel merchant bar, ddp Houston, declined to $620-640 per ton ($31-32 per cwt), down by 4.5% from $650-670 per ton ($32.50-33.50 per cwt) previously due to fresh offers for Mexico-origin material.