Steady demand, tight supply and reduced imports in the United States have kept domestic and import beam prices firm compared with a month ago, market participants said.
American Metal Market's assessment of domestic W8- x 8-inch beams was at $42 per hundredweight fob mill on Thursday May 24, in line with mill list prices, while import medium sections were steady at $760-800 per short ton ($38-40 per cwt) cfr port of Houston. There are "absolutely no discounts" around now, with prices at published prices, one mill source said. "Business has been good throughout the year, especially with lower imports," he added. "Scrap has kind of settled for the time being and demand still seems to be there with [construction] projects all...