US Scrap Trends Outlook: April

North American steel scrap prices are expected to rise in April, for a fifth straight month, supported by a lingering shortage of certain grades of material and steady demand

Steel scrap prices in April

The bullish sentiment held the Trend Indicator in positive territory with a reading of 58.8 for April, down from 65.2 for March. The Outlook’s prediction model suggests that steel scrap prices have the potential to rise by an average of 6.3% in April.

That expectation comes amid reports that steel mills were unable to fully cover all their requirements in March, with domestic steel scrap inventory levels depleted in the wake of robust domestic and overseas demand in recent weeks.

Market responds to rising steel scrap prices

Just over half of respondents to the survey expected prices to rise in April, while 28% said that prices would trade sideways. More than one third of respondents said that stronger demand would be the main driver behind the upswing in prices, while just under 20% anticipated unchanged market conditions, and a similar amount expected demand to weaken compared with March.

Prime steel scrap prices are due to outperform their obsolete and shredded counterparts once again in April, while the overall trend consensus fell to 57% compared with 61% in March, suggesting confidence in the market’s direction has softened.

Make sense of the US steel scrap market and track the critical indicators impacting price movements in our April outlook.

What to read next
What factors are driving the significant downturn in US housing starts, accompanied by a decrease in building permits?
Liberty Steel will "temporarily pause" production at its wire rod mill in Georgetown, South Carolina, and shift the plant's production to making steel wire mesh and welded steel products, the company announced on Friday April 19
Ferrous scrap could serve as a linchpin in decarbonizing both the steel and shipping sectors in South Korea, particularly in the short term, while waiting for emerging technologies such as hydrogen-based direct-reduced iron to be commercialized, Fastmarkets heard at a seminar on green steel and circularity
Singapore-based lithium-ion battery recycling company Green Li-ion has launched its first commercial-scale installation to produce battery-grade cathode and anode materials from black mass and cathode powder – the first of its kind in North America
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) will work with relevant parties to regulate crude steel production, with a focus on energy saving and reducing carbon emissions. It will also release guidance on crude steel output for different steel mills later this year after a national investigation on steel capacity
Fastmarkets launched a suite of CIF India aluminium scrap prices on Wednesday April 17.