Steel Strip

Despite weak end-market demand in North America, flat-rolled steel prices have increased persistently this year so that hot-rolled sheet steel and cold-rolled sheet cost 57% more than in December, with more increases set for the second quarter. Purchasingdata.com now is predicting that hot-rolled sheet will cost as much as $1,150/ton in July (up from $850 [...]

Rising steel prices could soon force a Midland fencing firm out of business with the loss of up to 30 jobs, according to its worried boss.
James O’Sullivan, who owns Vicraft Ltd in Brownhills and Temporary Fencing Supplies in Aldridge, says he will be forced to close if the current price rise continues at such a [...]

ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steel producer, has held informal discussions with Angang Steel about working with China’s second-largest steel company in an effort to extend its presence in the country.
Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian billionaire chief executive and main owner of ArcelorMittal, proposed buying a near 25 per cent stake in Angang to Zhang Xiaogang, Angang’s [...]

Senior figures in China’s steel industry believe China will concede to Australian demands to include a freight premium in iron ore price negotiations that could see a price rise of up to 85 percent, the Australian Financial Review reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper cited a senior source at a leading iron ore trader in China saying [...]