Nucor raises prices for hot rolled coils for the second time since June

American steel company Nucor announced an increase in the weekly spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil (HRC). Offers for the week of June 16-22, 2025, rose by 1.1% or $10/t compared to the previous week, to $900 per short ton for all production facilities except California Steel Industries (CSI), where the price is $960/t (+1.1%).

This is the second increase since the beginning of June after 10 weeks of decline. In May, prices fell by $60-70/t, while in April they remained largely stable. Thus, the maximum price since the beginning of the year was reached on March 24 – $935/t ($995/t for CSI) – and remained until April 13. Despite this, Nucor’s HRC offers remain $150/t higher than prices in early January.

The lead time for orders is estimated at 3-5 weeks.

According to SMU, last week HRC prices in the US fluctuated between $800-920/t FOB. Kallanish notes that hot-rolled coil traded in the range of $870-900/t.

During May, the US HRC market experienced a sharp decline: the average price fell by 7.1% m/m – to $885/t ex-works. The key factors were a combination of weak end demand, lower scrap prices, and sluggish business activity after the end of the “panic buying” period in March-April. Despite some signs of a possible upturn in purchases in June, most market participants expect a further gradual decline in prices over the summer.

As GMK Center reported earlier, US-based Cleveland-Cliffs announced the opening of its July order book for hot-rolled coil (HRC) at a higher price of $950/t. Offers rose by $40/t or 4.4% compared to June ($910/t).