Swedish steelmaker SSAB expects prices to remain relatively stable in North America from the third quarter to the fourth, Kallanish understands. 

During the company’s quarterly conference call with analysts, ceo Martin Lindqvist notes that plate pricing was essentially flat - but low - during Q3. 

Increased scrap prices, partially driven by demand from the auto sector, forced mills to hike their plate products to avoid margin compression. 

“We were in a bit of a squeeze when it came to margins over scrap in Q3,” he says. 

SSAB and Nucor both raised plate prices this week - SSAB by a flat $50/short ton, Nucor to a minimum of $670/st. On Monday, Kallanish assessed A36 at $600-630/st, prior to the increases. 

Stable prices in Q4 are likely to be the result of seasonal slowdowns, offset by the recent increases, Lindqvist says.