The increase is effective immediately for the week of February 23, 2026. After several weeks of steady $5/ton increases, the company has now doubled the weekly pace to $10/ton, signaling strengthening demand and solid order flow.
The latest move continues a broader upward trend that began in late 2025. Between November and December, Nucor increased HRC prices by $75/ton over nine consecutive weeks. After holding steady at $950/ton for four weeks in early January 2026, the upward trajectory resumed in late January. Prices rose to $970/ton in early February, then to $975/ton, and now to $990/ton. From late-November levels in the mid-$800s, HRC pricing has climbed roughly $100/ton or more.
Market fundamentals have supported each step higher, including declining imports, extending lead times, and steady order intake from key end-use sectors. While CSP spot orders typically carry lead times of three to five weeks, current lead times have extended to between four and eight weeks depending on product, as order books continue to fill and mills operate with healthy backlogs.
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