The State of Able Steel

It is difficult to predict where the Steel Industry (or any industry) is headed in these times of economic uncertainty.  Nobody has a crystal ball, including us at Able Steel.  That is why we believe it is even more important to communicate to our business partners the state of the market. 

We are experiencing a significant drop in material costs as a result of decreasing scrap prices, depressed global demand, and a strengthening of the dollar against foreign currencies. 

The good news: all types of structural material are readily available from both producers and service centers.  2009 has the potential of being a rebound year in steel construction with significant reductions in price from the previous 7 months. 

Although a number of factors have to occur in order for the re-building to proceed, we are continuing to make improvements to our processes to position ourselves for the next period of growth. While we have continued to stay ahead of the curve in regards to technology, one of our successes has been our ability to assist Contractors in budgeting steel projects in short periods of time.

Our Sales and Estimating Department are always willing to help with pricing and keeping our customers fully aware of where the market stands and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Where’s the market headed? As we said before, “nobody has a crystal ball.”  We have experienced similar downturns before and we will again.  It is just the cycle of business.