Published by:Chris Kavanagh<>
13 Jun 2025 @ 07:45 UTC

Hot-rolled coil prices in the US South rose on Wednesday June 11 on the back of elevated mill, offers following the newly implemented escalation of Section 232 tariffs, sources said. Fastmarkets’ weekly steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US South was calculated at $43.85 per hundredweight ($877.00 per short ton) on Wednesday, up 1.25% from $43.31 per cwt a week earlier.
Inputs were collected in the seller sub-indices in a range from $42.50-45.00 per cwt on Wednesday, representing deals and offers.
Fastmarkets’ daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US Midwest was calculated at $43.88 per cwt on Wednesday, up 1.46% from $43.25 per cwt a week ago.
Steelmaker Nucor raised its consumer spot price for hot-rolled products on June 9 to a $44.50 per cwt ($890 per ton) base for the remainder of the week, up 2.30% from $43.50 per cwt ($870 per ton) on June 2.
Market participants continued to depict sluggish spot demand amid uncertain market conditions, according to sources.
Volumes and inquiry levels are very low, a service center source said.
Demand is very quiet. Outside of contracts, no one is buying much. The uncertainty level that is out there is showing its way through. No one wants to take any big risks, a second service center source said.
Although the recent implementation of 50% Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium has sparked mill offer raises, demand has yet to respond in a significant manner, sources told Fastmarkets
What little demand we were seeing is now sitting on the sidelines since the additional 25% tariff announcement. Until we get some clarity on the tariffs and see some long-term trade deals done, I am afraid we will all sit and wait, the first service center source said.
Lead times have been reported at three to five weeks.