Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Price Trend and Forecast

Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Regional Price Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Cold Rolled Steel Sheet in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

Cold-Rolled Steel Sheet Price Trend for the Q4 of 2024

In Q4 of 2024, the cold-rolled steel sheet market exhibited a combination of stability and fluctuations. Prices initially remained steady but experienced a slight decline in the latter part of the quarter due to fluctuating raw material costs and moderate demand from end-user industries. This was followed by a period of relative stability, supported by a balance between production and consumer demand, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors. However, periodic price variations were observed throughout the quarter, influenced by shifting market sentiment, supply chain dynamics, and energy costs.
 

Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Price Chart

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Towards the end of the quarter, a marginal rise in demand emerged, driven by increased procurement activity and a slight improvement in market confidence. Despite these fluctuations, the market remained largely stable, with suppliers and buyers adopting a cautious yet responsive approach to pricing and inventory management. The quarter reflected a dynamic market environment, shaped by a combination of regional and global factors, ensuring supply stability despite oscillating demand.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the cold-rolled steel sheet price graph is expected to maintain the downward movements as the downstream stream demand remains subdued.
 

Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Price Trend for the Q3 of 2024

In the third quarter of 2024, the prices of Cold Rolled Steel Sheet experienced fluctuations, influenced by variations in its primary feedstock, stainless steel. In the Chinese market, prices stood at approximately 557 USD/MT in July and declined to 518 USD/MT in September. At the beginning of the quarter, feedstock prices remained subdued due to reduced demand across various downstream sectors.

The downward trajectory from the previous quarter persisted, as no significant improvement in demand was observed in either Q2 or Q3 of 2024, causing a continuous decline in Cold Rolled Steel Sheet prices. Prices reached their lowest point in early September, after which they stabilized briefly before beginning to rise toward the end of the quarter. This increase was driven by the announcement of Federal Reserve rate cuts, which weakened the dollar and enhanced the commodity's appeal in international markets. Overall, Cold Rolled Steel Sheet prices fluctuated, closely following the trends of its feedstock, stainless steel.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the prices of Cold Rolled Steel sheets are expected to show an upward trend in the near future. However, the outlook looks gloomy once the initial excitement from the Federal Reserve cuts subsides.
 

Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Price Trend for the First Half of 2024

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Cold-rolled steel sheets are used in the manufacturing of car bodies, components, and structural parts due to their high strength and excellent surface quality. In India, the stainless-steel prices have continued to decline slightly over the said span of the first six months of 2024. This decline was driven by weak global sentiments, increased freight costs, and sluggish domestic demand, impacting both long and flat steel products.

Key factors include price reductions by tier-1 mills and traders, reduced demand due to the monsoon season, and the impact of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) concerns on steel quality and notice on induction furnace prices. Additionally, tier-1 mills have cut prices for cold rolled coils due to increased domestic production and cheaper imports.

The export market remains weak due to low post-Eid demand, falling Chinese offers, and an oversupplied European market. Consequently, no significant near-term price movements are expected for flat products, while long-product prices may remain under pressure. In the Indian market, the monthly average prices for cold rolled steel sheets went from about 665 USD/MT in January’24 to around 586 USD/MT in June’24.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, not much improvement is expected in Cold Rolled Steel Sheet prices in the upcoming months. Current supply and demand dynamics suggest buoyancy in the cold rolled steel sheet prices going forward.
 

Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Price Trend for the Second Half of 2023

Cold rolled steel sheet has extraordinary strength, and durability and thus it is used in many industrial applications. These applications include the manufacturing of machinery, furniture, and other consumer goods such as appliances, construction, roofing, siding, and automobiles, where they are used for body panels and other components. These industries thus acquire the major share among the market drivers of cold rolled steel sheets and have a significant influence on the trajectory of its prices.

In the later months of 2023, the China Iron and Steel Association projected a limited growth in steel prices due to the onset of the off-season for steel consumption driven by the winter weather. Although steel production declined, it failed to meet market expectations, exacerbating the supply-demand imbalance further in the last quarter of the year.

Daily steel production at CISA member mills decreased by 4.2% from November to December alone, signaling a downward trend. In addition to this, the steel stocks in trader's warehouses decreased consistently in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, while those held by domestic producers increased, indicating trader inactivity and exerting pressure on the domestic cold rolled steel sheet price trend.

Further, rising prices for steel raw materials added pressure on the production costs despite slower steel price growth. Thus, on account of the limited availability of the product and scarcity of raw materials along with the rise in the downstream demand of cold rolled steel sheets, the prices of the commodity inclined gradually throughout H2 of 2023.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Cold Rolled Steel Sheet is expected to be based on the positive momentum of the downstream industries and inclination in the cost of raw materials.
 

Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Stay updated with the latest Cold Rolled Steel Sheet prices, historical data, and tailored regional analysis
 

Cold Rolled Steel Sheets are a more processed form of steel sheets using cooling and annealing processes, which are primarily used in engineered products that require high tolerances, concentricity, straightness, and surface conditions. So, the downstream demands from various industrial machinery, automobiles, and appliance sectors determine the Cold Rolled Steel Sheet’s market fundamentals.

In the Chinese domestic market, the Cold Rolled Steel Sheet prices stood at an average of about 666 USD/MT in January’23, which further inclined to about 698 USD/MT by the end of the first quarter. However, the prices declined and ended the second quarter at an average of about 628 USD/MT.

Similarly, in the Indian domestic market, the average spot prices increased by about 5% till April 2023 and then declined to about 747 USD/MT in June 2023. Hence, the Cold Rolled Steel Sheet observed mixed market sentiments throughout the said period, with prices mostly inclining in the first quarter and declining in the second.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, with fluctuating demands from the downstream sectors, the Cold Rolled Steel Sheet prices will continue to fluctuate in the upcoming months as well.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Cold Rolled Steel Sheet. Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.